Post by arete on Mar 14, 2014 21:06:01 GMT
Introduction:
“The task of the preacher”, it is said, “is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” (Vance Havner). If that is the case, the author of Hebrews is definitely a good preacher. He introduced his audience to some essential truths about God, revelation and the superiority of the Son. He now turns to making certain that the believers he is writing to are not too comfortable. Yes, they are saved, but they have work to do putting their faith into action. He writes to us as well. May we all be afflicted or comforted according to our attitude and need…
Context:
The author of Hebrews began his letter by focusing on the reality of God and the reality of the revelation of God. He brought to focus that the Son is superior. He is the superior revelation. He is the heir and creator of all things. He is the exact imprint of God’s glory. He accurately and perfectly represents the Father to man. The Son is also the Savior – the one who represents man to the Father. The author then proceeded to establish that as wonderful as the angels are in their person and ministry, the Son is far more superior. The Son is eternal and is in fact God and worthy of worship. Further, the angels serve the saved that the Son saves. Now we move into Hebrews 3 and the author now makes some conclusions based on his introducing us to the superiority of the Son…
Body – Hebrews 2:1-4 ESV
Warning Against Neglecting Salvation
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 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, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
A Mutual Warning v. 1
Therefore… there is an old saying that whenever you see “therefore” in Scripture, you look for what it is “there for”. This is a clue for us that the author is making a conclusion based in chapter 1.
We need to pay close attention. By using “we”, the author places himself in this category with his audience. Based on this and what the author has said, he is speaking to saved people. He is not evangelizing; he is exhorting believers to righteous action based in what he has been teaching.
What does is meant by “pay much closer attention”? His language is very precise. The idea here is close scrutiny and an attention for details. It also bears the meaning of not only turning your mind to see what is here, but that such attention will naturally and necessarily become an action based on what is seen. To not act on spiritual truth is the sin of omission. He wants us to act on his teaching.
What are we to pay much closer attention to? To what we have heard. This links us back to chapter 1 verse 1. We need to pay attention to everything God has said – especially concerning the person of the Son and his ministry because he is our salvation
Why do we need to pay this attention? Lest we drift away. It is important that the author has spoken to himself and others as established believers. They have security in their salvation. So in what sense can they drift away? The language here is about water flowing away from the point of the observer. The idea is that is can be easy to just drift along and not deal with the realities of who the Son is and what salvation is and the life we are called to live without ever engaging, without living our faith daily.
Illustration:
The closest attention must be paid to these very serious matters of the Christian faith. The readers in their tendency to apathy are in danger of making shipwreck of their lives (John MacArthur)
Application:
You must know what God has said and do it. Ignorance is no excuse in man’s law. It is definitely no excuse for sinning against God. You must pay close attention to all of God’s revelation. You must take care not to coast along on your current understanding. You must not become to content with how well you live your faith now. If we grow lazy in our faith and its practice, we slide farther away from our God and we will not grow and will actually shrink in our maturity.
The Message of the Word vv. 2-3a
There are consequences to not paying attention (v.2). The author moves from his warning to explaining the dire results of drifting away.
The message of old warned of such consequences (v. 2). The message is the revelation from God mentioned in chapter 1 verse 1 – what God spoke long ago before the superior revelation of the Son
1. Source of the message: the message is from God. According to Jewish interpretation of Deuteronomy 33:1-2 & Psalm 68:17 and NT Scripture of Acts 7:38 & Gal. 3:19 – God is the source of the message, but he used angels to deliver it many times.
2. Truth of the message: God cannot lie. We can trust his word without any need to test it. Yet, he and his word have proven themselves over and over. The word proves true and reliable
3. Results of disobeying the message: every transgression (this is intentional & willful sin or sin of intention) & disobedience (this is closing one’s ears to God’s commands or sin of omission) is a just retribution. In other words, God exacted a perfect, totally just punishment for each & every sin.
How much more then will sins against the Son and salvation have consequences (v. 3)? This is a common Jewish figure of speech. Since sinning against that message had swift and just punishment – then how much more should come from sinning against the Son?
1. How shall we escape? The answer is, “We won’t.” If we neglect such a great salvation, we will receive just and perfect discipline.
2. What is neglect? The wording here means to pay no attention or to be unconcerned about. The idea then is that we can minimize the Gospel in our lives. We can rope it off or box it up and put it away. We can try to live in our own power and under our own authority. God often will permit this so that we can realize the emptiness of our own way.
3. What is meant by “such a great salvation”? The author is making certain we do not confuse this salvation with mere earthly rescue or mere fire insurance. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is complete, total, and utter salvation. We are saved from penalty of sin when we receive the Gospel. We are being saved from the power of sin as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us throughout our lives. We are fully saved from the presence of sin when God collects us to himself in death or rapture.
Illustration:
The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness. A.W. Pink
Application:
You must not neglect the Gospel of Christ. This is more than evangelism, but it is not less than evangelism. The Gospel is the power to save and should be shared with those who need to be saved from sin and death. But the Gospel is not a used once and then disregarded item in the life of a Christian. It still has power in the life of the believer. It is the person and ministry of Jesus Christ our precious redeemer. The Gospel message and our obedience to it and reliance on it are necessary for us to escape the power of sin. You trusted in Christ to save us from the penalty. Now trust him to save you from the power of sin by the power of the Holy Spirit.
By Many Witnesses vv. 3b-4
The superiority and great salvation of the Son was openly declared by the Lord (v. 3b). The language connects this to chapter 1 verse 10. The Son himself was the first to openly and clearly announce that salvation has come. This is again the covenant name for God and emphasizes the Son is God.
The message of salvation has been proclaimed by ear witnesses (v. 3b). Those who heard the message from the Son have accurately passed the message on to the current believers. Jesus commanded that his disciples spread the good news, the Gospel of Christ.
The Gospel message has been established as true by God (v. 4 a). The signs, wonders and miracles are the same terms used by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to describe the proofs of God in Jesus’ ministry. The Jews especially understood that the Messiah would be accompanied by many miracles. This also establishes that Lord and God in this passage are referring to different persons. Both the Father and the Son are God.
The Holy Spirit’s ministry is proof of the Gospel message (4b). Jesus was clear that he must leave to send the Spirit. The Spirit has now indwelt and given gifts to every believer and all according to his sovereign will. We have the third person of God now active in testifying that the Gospel is true.
Illustration:
This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 Corinthians 13:1 – ESV
Application:
You have no excuse left to neglect the Gospel. The passage from 2 Corinthians and every other place two or three witnesses is used concerns charges. If we dare neglect the Gospel, God has laid out multiple witnesses to the truth of the Gospel and the consequences of our neglect. If we treat the salvation of Christ lightly as if we can live however we want – we are sinning. We sin every time we act as if we are our own. He owns us as Creator. He doubly owns us by redeeming us from our sin.
So What? What do we do with this truth?
What is the Gospel? It is the good news that follows the bad news. The bad news is that we are rebels against God and our just punishment is hell. The good news is that even before Adam fell and in Adam all have fallen – before that, God had purposed to redeem sinners and all of creation. The Gospel is Jesus Christ and his atoning work on the cross and the resurrection. The Gospel is salvation from sin and to eternal life. The Gospel is living out eternal life NOW! The Gospel is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit who is in us, at work in us and through gifts working through us. The Gospel is being saved from the presence of sin and in the presence of our Holy God forever. The knowledge of this, the experience of this and the power of this are meant to affect how we live. If they don’t we are drifting and we are neglecting the such a great salvation.
Therefore:
If you are afflicted, then this is a message of comfort. If that great salvation is not yours, it can be. Jesus Christ saves. If that great salvation is yours, then know that the Holy Spirit is making you more like Jesus. Sin’s power is being diminished in your life. Instead of just drifting along with that, pray to God for the strength and faith to be an active participant as he sanctifies you.
If you are comfortable, then this is a message of affliction. We all should pay closer attention to the word of God and the superiority of the Son, the Savior. When we neglect the Gospel, may we be disciplined quick so that we can repent and be restored. May the Spirit be at work in us to torment our conscience when we sin, make us feel our guilt and convict us so that we keep short accounts before God.
May God comfort and afflict us and may he work righteousness in us so that we become ever more made into the image of Christ.
Benediction:
"Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."(Hebrews 13:20-21 NRSV)
“The task of the preacher”, it is said, “is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” (Vance Havner). If that is the case, the author of Hebrews is definitely a good preacher. He introduced his audience to some essential truths about God, revelation and the superiority of the Son. He now turns to making certain that the believers he is writing to are not too comfortable. Yes, they are saved, but they have work to do putting their faith into action. He writes to us as well. May we all be afflicted or comforted according to our attitude and need…
Context:
The author of Hebrews began his letter by focusing on the reality of God and the reality of the revelation of God. He brought to focus that the Son is superior. He is the superior revelation. He is the heir and creator of all things. He is the exact imprint of God’s glory. He accurately and perfectly represents the Father to man. The Son is also the Savior – the one who represents man to the Father. The author then proceeded to establish that as wonderful as the angels are in their person and ministry, the Son is far more superior. The Son is eternal and is in fact God and worthy of worship. Further, the angels serve the saved that the Son saves. Now we move into Hebrews 3 and the author now makes some conclusions based on his introducing us to the superiority of the Son…
Body – Hebrews 2:1-4 ESV
Warning Against Neglecting Salvation
1 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 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, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
A Mutual Warning v. 1
Therefore… there is an old saying that whenever you see “therefore” in Scripture, you look for what it is “there for”. This is a clue for us that the author is making a conclusion based in chapter 1.
We need to pay close attention. By using “we”, the author places himself in this category with his audience. Based on this and what the author has said, he is speaking to saved people. He is not evangelizing; he is exhorting believers to righteous action based in what he has been teaching.
What does is meant by “pay much closer attention”? His language is very precise. The idea here is close scrutiny and an attention for details. It also bears the meaning of not only turning your mind to see what is here, but that such attention will naturally and necessarily become an action based on what is seen. To not act on spiritual truth is the sin of omission. He wants us to act on his teaching.
What are we to pay much closer attention to? To what we have heard. This links us back to chapter 1 verse 1. We need to pay attention to everything God has said – especially concerning the person of the Son and his ministry because he is our salvation
Why do we need to pay this attention? Lest we drift away. It is important that the author has spoken to himself and others as established believers. They have security in their salvation. So in what sense can they drift away? The language here is about water flowing away from the point of the observer. The idea is that is can be easy to just drift along and not deal with the realities of who the Son is and what salvation is and the life we are called to live without ever engaging, without living our faith daily.
Illustration:
The closest attention must be paid to these very serious matters of the Christian faith. The readers in their tendency to apathy are in danger of making shipwreck of their lives (John MacArthur)
Application:
You must know what God has said and do it. Ignorance is no excuse in man’s law. It is definitely no excuse for sinning against God. You must pay close attention to all of God’s revelation. You must take care not to coast along on your current understanding. You must not become to content with how well you live your faith now. If we grow lazy in our faith and its practice, we slide farther away from our God and we will not grow and will actually shrink in our maturity.
The Message of the Word vv. 2-3a
There are consequences to not paying attention (v.2). The author moves from his warning to explaining the dire results of drifting away.
The message of old warned of such consequences (v. 2). The message is the revelation from God mentioned in chapter 1 verse 1 – what God spoke long ago before the superior revelation of the Son
1. Source of the message: the message is from God. According to Jewish interpretation of Deuteronomy 33:1-2 & Psalm 68:17 and NT Scripture of Acts 7:38 & Gal. 3:19 – God is the source of the message, but he used angels to deliver it many times.
2. Truth of the message: God cannot lie. We can trust his word without any need to test it. Yet, he and his word have proven themselves over and over. The word proves true and reliable
3. Results of disobeying the message: every transgression (this is intentional & willful sin or sin of intention) & disobedience (this is closing one’s ears to God’s commands or sin of omission) is a just retribution. In other words, God exacted a perfect, totally just punishment for each & every sin.
How much more then will sins against the Son and salvation have consequences (v. 3)? This is a common Jewish figure of speech. Since sinning against that message had swift and just punishment – then how much more should come from sinning against the Son?
1. How shall we escape? The answer is, “We won’t.” If we neglect such a great salvation, we will receive just and perfect discipline.
2. What is neglect? The wording here means to pay no attention or to be unconcerned about. The idea then is that we can minimize the Gospel in our lives. We can rope it off or box it up and put it away. We can try to live in our own power and under our own authority. God often will permit this so that we can realize the emptiness of our own way.
3. What is meant by “such a great salvation”? The author is making certain we do not confuse this salvation with mere earthly rescue or mere fire insurance. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is complete, total, and utter salvation. We are saved from penalty of sin when we receive the Gospel. We are being saved from the power of sin as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us throughout our lives. We are fully saved from the presence of sin when God collects us to himself in death or rapture.
Illustration:
The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day evangelist. He announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness. A.W. Pink
Application:
You must not neglect the Gospel of Christ. This is more than evangelism, but it is not less than evangelism. The Gospel is the power to save and should be shared with those who need to be saved from sin and death. But the Gospel is not a used once and then disregarded item in the life of a Christian. It still has power in the life of the believer. It is the person and ministry of Jesus Christ our precious redeemer. The Gospel message and our obedience to it and reliance on it are necessary for us to escape the power of sin. You trusted in Christ to save us from the penalty. Now trust him to save you from the power of sin by the power of the Holy Spirit.
By Many Witnesses vv. 3b-4
The superiority and great salvation of the Son was openly declared by the Lord (v. 3b). The language connects this to chapter 1 verse 10. The Son himself was the first to openly and clearly announce that salvation has come. This is again the covenant name for God and emphasizes the Son is God.
The message of salvation has been proclaimed by ear witnesses (v. 3b). Those who heard the message from the Son have accurately passed the message on to the current believers. Jesus commanded that his disciples spread the good news, the Gospel of Christ.
The Gospel message has been established as true by God (v. 4 a). The signs, wonders and miracles are the same terms used by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to describe the proofs of God in Jesus’ ministry. The Jews especially understood that the Messiah would be accompanied by many miracles. This also establishes that Lord and God in this passage are referring to different persons. Both the Father and the Son are God.
The Holy Spirit’s ministry is proof of the Gospel message (4b). Jesus was clear that he must leave to send the Spirit. The Spirit has now indwelt and given gifts to every believer and all according to his sovereign will. We have the third person of God now active in testifying that the Gospel is true.
Illustration:
This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 Corinthians 13:1 – ESV
Application:
You have no excuse left to neglect the Gospel. The passage from 2 Corinthians and every other place two or three witnesses is used concerns charges. If we dare neglect the Gospel, God has laid out multiple witnesses to the truth of the Gospel and the consequences of our neglect. If we treat the salvation of Christ lightly as if we can live however we want – we are sinning. We sin every time we act as if we are our own. He owns us as Creator. He doubly owns us by redeeming us from our sin.
So What? What do we do with this truth?
What is the Gospel? It is the good news that follows the bad news. The bad news is that we are rebels against God and our just punishment is hell. The good news is that even before Adam fell and in Adam all have fallen – before that, God had purposed to redeem sinners and all of creation. The Gospel is Jesus Christ and his atoning work on the cross and the resurrection. The Gospel is salvation from sin and to eternal life. The Gospel is living out eternal life NOW! The Gospel is the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit who is in us, at work in us and through gifts working through us. The Gospel is being saved from the presence of sin and in the presence of our Holy God forever. The knowledge of this, the experience of this and the power of this are meant to affect how we live. If they don’t we are drifting and we are neglecting the such a great salvation.
Therefore:
If you are afflicted, then this is a message of comfort. If that great salvation is not yours, it can be. Jesus Christ saves. If that great salvation is yours, then know that the Holy Spirit is making you more like Jesus. Sin’s power is being diminished in your life. Instead of just drifting along with that, pray to God for the strength and faith to be an active participant as he sanctifies you.
If you are comfortable, then this is a message of affliction. We all should pay closer attention to the word of God and the superiority of the Son, the Savior. When we neglect the Gospel, may we be disciplined quick so that we can repent and be restored. May the Spirit be at work in us to torment our conscience when we sin, make us feel our guilt and convict us so that we keep short accounts before God.
May God comfort and afflict us and may he work righteousness in us so that we become ever more made into the image of Christ.
Benediction:
"Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."(Hebrews 13:20-21 NRSV)