HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE?
Hebrews 2:1-4
We all heard it many times: “How many times do I have to tell you! . . .”
Followed by specific things our parents told us to do, or not to do.
Clean your room! Be home by 10:00!
Don’t play basketball in your school clothes!Don’t pick on your little sister!
Some years ago a pamphlet called “Children: Fun or Frenzy?” was popular.
“We teach our children it’s O.K. to disobey the first 3 times we tell them something, by repeating instructions over and over.
When we finally punish the child, it’s in frustration and anger.”
It suggests that we speak once, and enforce what we say firmly the first time.
Some people grow up with parents who nag, but never follow through with discipline.
By the time we finish our study of Hebrews, it will be clear that God isn’t a nagger!
He doesn’t keep pleading with us to PLEASE do what He wants us to do!
God announces His instructions.
He patiently waits, to give us a chance to conform our behavior to His plan.
Then He applies corrective measures to bring us into conformity to His plan.
He increases pain until He gets our attention and motivates us to conform to His plan.
But He doesn’t change His mind.
Heb. 2:1-4 introduces the first warning God gives to His Hebrew readers.
Hebrews is an exhortation to continue growing in faith,
rather than give in to persecution, throw in the towel, and return to Judaism.
Majority of the book demonstrates JESUS IS BETTER THAN JUDAISM 1-10:18
His superiority to significant people of Israel’s history 1-7
JESUS IS THE BEST REVELATION OF GOD 1-4:13
Jesus is a better revelation than the prophets 1:1-3
God has spoken to us through His Son—He is the last word.
He gives a better revelation because He alone is the Heir and Creator of all things.
He alone radiates God’s glory and is an exact representation of what God is like.
His revelation is greater than any prophet because he is God’s final Word.
Jesus is a better revelation than the angels 1:4-2:18
Greater name 1:4-5 Since He is God, He has a greater Name [=> “Son”]
Greater position 1:6-14 He occupies a higher position than the angels.
Since they recognize His superiority, they worship Him.
They are changeable servants but He is the unchangeable and eternal God.
[Finally, there is a . . .]
GREATER WARNING 2:1-4
Since His revelation is greater, we better be careful to listen and obey the revelation we received from Him. We better pay attention to what He says!
Seven warning passages underline importance of not throwing in the towel.
They offer a divine commentary on God’s judgments in Numbers.
Five of these warnings are derived directly from incidents where God judged His people for unbelief and disobedience.
This passage is the first–the introduction to the warnings.
It’s a summary of how God deals with His people in general.
If God was severe in dealing with those who rejected the angels’ message, how much more should WE fear to turn from that revealed by His Son?
THE EXHORTATION 2:1 It’s risky to hear the warning and not pay attention!
When we fly on our vacation, before the plane takes off, the flight attendant always begins with the same old speel. We’ve heard it 100s of times.
They show you how to buckle your seat belt,
where the exits are, and how to use your oxygen mask.
We hear it. But how many of us pay attention?
The danger is remote and the message familiar. It doesn’t demand our attention.
Sometimes that’s the way God’s people react on Sunday.
We’ve heard God’s Word hundreds of times. It all sounds familiar.
The danger that God will do something about our disobedience seems remote.
Why worry about it? So we pay little attention to what He tells us.
The writer says watch out!
Pay close attention so that we don’t “drift away”
Swindoll asks, “How will history look back on our generation? What will it say about Christian people of our generation?” He fears we will go down as a generation of drifters.
We don’t have a firm grip on truth, and so we’re swept away by the current.
People are drifting in the contemporary currents of doctrinal instability, lack of marital commitment, ministerial immorality, and the lack of moral integrity.
One of the main indicators of spiritual immaturity is instability
–carried away by currents moving around us—subject to whatever wind blows by.
If we fail to heed the warnings of God’s Word, we’re subject to such drifting.
For persecuted saints, the current is strong, and persecution is carrying them away.
Since we received a better revelation than that of prophets or angels, we better pay attention to what God says, so we don’t “drift away!”
This word is used for a ring that slips off a finger
Or, to describe a boat drifting downstream,
slipping by the last spot you could throw a rope, before being swept into danger.
The image is frequent on our nightly news—an image of storm and flood,
with raging waters sweeping away everything in sight.
God’s Word promises: when people begin to live godly lives, persecution follows.
Paul warns that “Those who seek to live godly lives will be persecuted.”
Warning: Be sure we’re securely tied to the dock, so we aren’t carried off downstream, by the flow of whatever current may be pulling against us.
It reminds me of incidents with shopping carts, or even with the car, when I’m not paying attention, and leave it out of gear.
As I turn my back for a moment, I suddenly get this eerie feeling—something is moving, downhill, without a driver.
He warns US to pay attention, so WE don’t neglect what’s happening, and suddenly get that eerie feeling that we are drifting down hill.
The current tugging at us may not be persecution, as it was for these believers.
However, in our generation, when numerous currents are pulling at us,
we need the warning to stay attached to the solid rock, so we don’t drift.
THE OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE 2:2-3a
What happened to people who ignored the angels’ message?
God’s judgment on people who reject His messengers is severe!
People zapped by lightning, the earth swallowed them up, leprosy consumed them.
An entire generation died in the wilderness!
Law bears witness: you can’t ignore God’s warnings
and walk away unharmed!
How would we respond if God’s intervention were that observable today?
We have an even greater revelation through the Son.
How much greater will our judgment be, if we don’t listen?
THE WARNING TO US 2:3-4
“Neglect” is a broad, general word, ranging from outright rejection of truth,
to simple failure to respond appropriately to it.
In either case, the consequences of neglect are serious.
If we turn from the truth, we will face severe consequences.
This warning is not pointing to the loss of salvation, or spending eternity in hell.
The author includes himself among those who risk this danger:
“How shall WE escape, if WE neglect such a great salvation?”
O.T. warnings deal with times when God brought physical judgment on His people for disobedience and unbelief.
For their generation, the destruction of Jerusalem would be even more severe.
The holocaust is just a sequel to what happened to that generation!
He warns them repeatedly that by returning to Judaism they will subject themselves to the judgment God is about to bring on that generation for rejecting His Son.
THREE REASONS THE WARNING IS SO SEVERE:
1. This message was first ANNOUNCED by CHRIST Himself.
2. The message was CONFIRMED by those who heard it directly from the Lord—by EYEWITNESSES.
The word “confirmed” is a legal term used for a guaranteed assurance.
These eyewitnesses guaranteed the validity of their testimony.
3. The message was AUTHENTICATED by miraculous signs from God’s Spirit.
God places His personal seal of approval on the revelation,
authenticating the message with supernatural signs.
Men can’t reproduce them by their own efforts. God is with them!
They were “many-faceted” evidences. It’s evident this is God’s work.
This passage is crucial to our understanding of spiritual gifts.
THREE TRUTHS about the spectacular gifts God gave to His church:
1. THEIR PURPOSE: God uses signs
to affirm the message of those who proclaim Christ.
They aren’t to glorify the Holy Spirit.
They aren’t to glorify the gifted.
They aren’t to identify certain people who are “super-spiritual.”
They’re intended to confirm the good news about Jesus.
They’re to affirm God’s message about Jesus.
2.THEIR TIMING: Tenses indicate this occurred in the past.
He doesn’t say God is presently doing this.
Even when he writes this letter, he indicates that God had spoken through eyewitnesses, and confirmed their message by these signs.
He gives no indication it is still going on in his day.
This doesn’t mean God couldn’t use such signs if He chose to.
It just indicates that it isn’t the author’s present experience.
3. THEIR SOURCE: he injects a thought to remind us that God is God.
The Holy Spirit decides where, when,
and to whom to give spiritual gifts.
He seems to sense the need to add what Paul says in 1 Cor:
Gifts aren’t given to those who seek them because WE want some gift.
God distributes gifts according to HIS will—NOT ours!
The point in this passage, however, is not about spiritual gifts —It’s a warning.
Angelic messages were severely enforced.
The weight of testimony and affirmation for the FINAL Word is greater!
Jesus Himself revealed it.
Eyewitnesses affirmed what they saw.
Their testimony, confirmed by the Holy Spirit, increases our responsibility,
and the severity of God’s judgment, if we fail to pay attention.
If it was dangerous to ignore the angelic message,
how much more dangerous will it be to ignore the Son?!!
God has spoken. We had better listen.
We need to be firmly rooted in what God has said.
We are not to be just “hearers of the Word;” we are to be “doers of the Word.”
We too frequently take lightly what God has said.
God has spoken. This is the last Word. We had better pay attention!
That’s true in a general sense about all of Scripture. This warning is more specific:
How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?
TWO IMPLICATIONS FOR US:
1. Because God has spoken through His Son,
we should trust Him to receive God’s gift of eternal life.
God is working today, drawing people to Himself.
Scripture makes clear that God won’t keep calling forever.
Peter warns that people fail to understand the reason He delays judging sinners immediately, zapping us with lightning: His patience.
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. . . . our Lord’s patience leads to salvation.”
He is patient because He wants us to come to the Son.
But He won’t wait for ever!
Paul warns us: “NOW is the accepted time . . . TODAY is the day of salvation!”
He is offering you salvation, through His Son, the last Word, God, come in flesh.
You can leave here knowing that you have eternal life, if you’ll trust Him.
You can KNOW IT IS WELL WITH YOUR SOUL—That you are well with Him.
You can decide to trust him right where you are seated.
Will YOU trust Him this morning?
“There is no other name given whereby we must be saved!”
It’s the name of Jesus, God’s only and unique Son.
If you trust Him, you can walk out of here,
KNOWING that you have eternal life
KNOWING that it is well with your soul
TRUST HIM NOW!
How shall we escape, if we neglect such a great salvation?!!
2. Because God has spoken through His Son, there are ongoing implications:
we should remain faithful to Him–even in the midst of adversity!
Don’t throw in the towel!
Don’t give up in the midst of the storm!
Continue to trust Him and remain faithful to Him.