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Friday, June 19, 2020

Sermon on Complacency

Complacency:  Neglecting Salvation and Drifting Away.

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.

Hebrews 2:1-4

1.       Neglecting salvation.

2.       Declared at first by the Lord.

3.       Attested by those who heard.

4.       God bearing witness by signs and wonders and miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

1.       Neglecting salvation.

      Neglect is ameleoo, to be unconcerned about. A lot of religious people show they are unconcerned about their salvation because they don’t bother to thoroughly check what they’ve been taught about it. They just assume that what they’ve been taught must be the truth, and so they must be saved. This despite Jesus’ emphatic warning in Matthew 7:13-27, and the fact that different churches teach different ways of being saved:

•         faith only,

•         sinner’s prayer,

•         believe, repent, be baptized,

•         speaking in tongues after baptism,

                etc., etc.

2.       Declared at first by the Lord.

      Well, Jesus said in His great commission:

      And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.  Mark 16:15-16

      So Jesus declared here what constituted salvation under the New Covenant.

Not only did He declare it, he also added in verses 17-18:

      And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

       And then Mark summarised what would take place as this salvation was spread abroad, after Jesus had ascended to heaven to be with God:

      So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

Exactly what our Hebrews 2 passage said about signs and wonders bearing witness.

3.       Attested by those who heard.

      The first people to attest of this salvation were those on Pentecost as described in Acts 2:

And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Acts 2:21

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three

thousand souls. Acts 2:36-41

4.       God bearing witness by signs and wonders and miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Observe that miraculous confirming testimony accompanied this salvation:

(i)       The tongue-speaking of the apostles, Acts 2:1-4

Notice that immediately after the tongue-speaking, and the question as to what it all meant (vs.12), Peter proceeds to preach the saving gospel that is then followed by 3000 repenting and being baptized and saved.

(ii)      Apostolic wonders and signs:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. Acts 2:42-43

What Mark said would happen is recorded as happening - right at the beginning of the apostles’ work in witnessing of Jesus’ salvation in Acts 2.

·     Mark 16:15-20 has Jesus declaring His salvation with the accompanying signs and wonders.

·     Acts 1:8 has Jesus telling the apostles they will receive the Spirit to enable them to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world.

·     Acts 2 shows it happening and those who heard the message of salvation attesting.

·     Precisely as Hebrews 2 said had happened.

Then as we proceed further though the Acts of the Apostles we see the message of salvation going to people who are not Jews, notably the first Gentile – the Roman centurion, Cornelius, who stated: “we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” Acts 10:33.

Peter preaches the gospel. Vss.34-43

God bears witness as Cornelius speaks in tongues and extols God, vss.44-46. Peter then commands the water baptism, vs.47-48, that Jesus had said was necessary for the salvation of Jews and Gentiles without discrimination. Cornelius also attests as one who heard “such a great salvation.”

Whether Jew or Gentile are saved, salvation is the same for all. As Ephesians 4:5 summarises:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:1-8.

One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father over all, through all and in all. And the “gifts of the Spirit, distributed according to His will” that Hebrews 2 had mentioned - the churches at Corinth and Ephesus being further examples of signs confirming the message of  salvation, 1 Cor 1:1-9; 12-14; Acts 19:1-7; Ephesians 4:7-16, as well as gifts for service.

The “calling with which you have been called” (note 1 Corinthians 1:2) is what the hearer must pay much closer attention to - the salvation that must never be neglected. To call upon the name of the Lord is to believe, repent and be baptized. See Acts 22:16 as a clear proof. But also compare Acts 2:21 and 2:37-39, and 1 Corinthians 12:3-13. The Spirit revealed His truth, confirmed it with signs, wonders and various gifts, and was then given as a seal of salvation to those who obeyed. Ac 5:32; Eph 1:13-14.

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts“ Hebrews 3:7-8. A warning to those saved, but might drift away, and to those not truly saved in the first place.

Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, Hebrews 5:8-9

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  Hebrews 10:19-23

 

David Carr

 

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