Don't Drift Away

God at various times and in various ways spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.

And therefore, we have now received a far greater revelation through a far greater messenger, which climactically concludes and supersedes all that came before it. The Old Testament came by prophets, and the law was declared by angels, but God has spoken to us by his Son, who is as far superior to angels as the name which he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. The Son is the long-awaited Messiah who's been appointed the heir of all things and who, after making purification for sins, has sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. He himself is the very radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. And the point is, it's impossible not to recognize the greatness of his message and the importance of listening to him when you understand the greatness of the one who has delivered it. God has spoken to his son. And after the beginning with that grand declaration of verses 1 through 4, the author of Hebrews turns in verses 5 through 14 to back that up. And particularly, he's reinforcing what he said in verse 4 about the son having become as far superior to angels as the name which he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Because, of course, at least for the skeptical reader, the natural question is, well, how do you know that? You know, how do we know that Jesus is greater than angels? I wonder how you would answer that question. Maybe you would point to Philippians 2, Revelation 5, Colossians 1, John 1, any number of other New Testament passages may come to mind about the supremacy and divinity of Christ. But what if he didn't have the New Testament? What if you, like the author of Hebrews, were writing to people who believe the Old Testament, but question the New? Where would you go in the Old Testament to establish the superiority of Jesus, particularly to angels? Well, we're gonna look at these seven Old Testament quotations that the author of Hebrews uses to prove and flesh out that point. And that brings us to the first point in the sermon, and all the points in the sermon today will be in the form of questions. And so the first question is this, how do we know that Jesus is superior to angels? And so we're gonna look at verses, chapter one, verses five through 14. And as I said, there's seven quotations here, and I think they're best grouped according to three contrasts that the author of Hebrews is drawing between angels and the sun. And we see these contrasts set up in verse 5, in verses 7 and 8, and then verse 13. So in verse 5, he asked, to which of the angels did God ever say? and then gives three quotations. In verses seven and eight, he says, of the angels, he says, but of the son, he says. So again, there's three quotations there with a second contrast. And then in verse 13, we come to the third contrast where he again asks, and to which of the angels has he ever said? And he includes the seventh and final quotation there. So let's look at each of these three contrasts in turn. First, Verses five and six, angels are worshipers, but the son shares the position of God. All right, he says in verse five,

for to which of the angels did God ever say, you are my son, today I have begotten you. Or again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, let all God's angels worship him.

Now, it's important to see that the argument here is not merely that Jesus is called Son of God. Because there are places in the Old Testament where angels are called sons of God, too. Rather, the argument is that Jesus is the Son of God in a unique sense. And that's because his sonship is one by which he is the very heir of God himself. the firstborn over all creation, exalted to the very status and position of God. It's sort of like the difference between the high officials in a royal court and the prince himself, who actually is royalty and might even sit on the throne together with his father. Jesus is son like that. So, the author first quotes two messianic passages which speak of the Davidic king as God's son. He quotes 2 Samuel 7, verse 14, where God says of David's offspring who will one day build him a house,

I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son.

And then he also quotes Psalm 2, verse 7, where David prophetically writes the words of his future son. saying,

I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, you are my son. Today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage and the ends of the earth your possession. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

And it should be clear here that this is not speaking of the Messiah as a son of God in a generic sense. This is actually speaking of God the Father adopting David's son to make him his heir. The possessor of the ends of the earth who can ask for the ends of the earth and it will be given to him. And then shockingly, at the end of the psalm, we find that this God, who elsewhere says he will not share his glory with another, this God says,

kiss the Son, lest you perish in the way. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

I mean, the Son is being exalted to be the judge and the savior of all mankind. He is essentially sharing the position and throne of God himself. And that's why the author of Hebrews asks, to which of the angels did God ever say anything like that? No angel is called son like this son. And then to cap it off, he gives a third quote saying,

and when God brings the firstborn into the world, he says, let all God's angels worship him.

And so in sharing the position of God as the Son, he also shares in being the recipient of worship. And this, of course, is something that no angel would ever receive. I mean, when John tries to bow down and worship an angel in Revelation, the angel says,

see that you do not do that. I'm a fellow servant. Worship God.

And yet here we see that the Son not only receives worship, but He receives worship from all the angels. The lowest to the highest, they all bow in worship to Him. And so this, perhaps most clearly of all, demonstrates His vast superiority. I mean, this is either this greatest act of idolatry, or the Son is God Himself. Now, we need to think about the quote being used here, because at first blush, it seems like it's being used out of context. It comes from the end of the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 43, specifically from the Greek translation of that, which is called the Septuagint. But the challenge is, in the context, that verse is speaking of Yahweh. So how can the author of Hebrews just pick that up and apply it to the Son? Now to be clear, this is not a theological problem. We already know from the rest of the Bible that Jesus is God. So theologically, there's no issue in concluding that when Deuteronomy 32 speaks of Yahweh, that applies to Jesus. But this is a hermeneutical problem. Because the deity of Jesus is the very thing being argued for. So you can't just take a verse about Yahweh, apply it to Jesus, and then use that to prove that Jesus is God. That would be circular reasoning. So what is going on here? Well, the first key to understanding why the author quotes this verse is to pay careful attention to his introductory phrase. He says, when God brings the firstborn into the world. And the first key term is firstborn. Because this is connecting to these two passages about sonship just quoted. And this is actually not a reference to Jesus's incarnation, but his exaltation. This is not talking about God bringing his eternal son into this present fallen world. It's talking about God bringing the resurrected Jesus into heaven. And this is further clarified by chapter two, verse five. Because the author of Hebrews says, He's clarifying, the world I've been speaking about is not this world, it's the world to come. And this is actually made even clearer in the Greek, because he uses the same Greek word, not cosmos, but oikumene, for world here. And so 1.6 and 2.5 are both talking about the world to come. And so when he says, when he brings the firstborn into the world, it's referring to the fact that Jesus becomes firstborn through his resurrection from the dead. And that's because his resurrection inaugurates the new creation. It begins the new world. And therefore the scene envisioned by the author of Hebrews is not that of Jesus being born into the world when the angels are singing to shepherds. It's that of the resurrected Jesus in his glorified human body, entering the heavenly places and sitting down at the right hand of the majesty on high. The world to come has been inaugurated. New creation has broken forth through this one who is the Son, the firstborn himself. And in that moment, the author of Hebrews is saying, God the Father commands all the angels to bow in worship before him. As Philippians 2 says,

to him was given the name that is above every name. that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And Deuteronomy 32 is quoted here because it prophesies this very thing. I mean, Moses, even back then, was singing about the new world that Yahweh would bring about. And the author of Hebrews is justifiably applying that to Jesus because by becoming the firstborn, he himself has brought that about. Now, I know that got a bit technical and I may have lost some of you, but I hope the overarching point is clear. The author of Hebrews is establishing the contrast that angels are worshipers like we are. But the Son is worshipped and exalted to share the position of God himself. Now, let's look at the second contrast, and the second block of three quotations, which is that angels are mutable, created beings, but the Son is the eternal creator. And here, Hebrews begins with a quote from Psalm 104, verse 4.

Of the angels, he says, He makes his angels' winds and his ministers a flame of fire.

Now this was from our call to worship. And in the context we see that the psalmist is speaking of the majesty of angels as a way of praising God. We can see the greatness of God and that his ministers are swift like the wind and holy and dangerous like fire. But the author of Hebrews quotes it because it simultaneously betrays something about the angels' creatureliness and mutability. They move and they change like wind and fire. But look at the contrast he draws with the sun. He quotes Psalm 45, verses six and seven, saying, but of the sun he, that is God, says,

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.

" And notice that within that quote, two different figures are called God. There's God in verse 8, whose throne is forever and ever, And then there's God in verse 9, who anoints the figure from verse 8 with the oil of gladness beyond his companions. And Psalm 45 is a messianic psalm. It's talking about the king of Israel, and therefore clearly calls this king God or Elohim. Now again, there are places where that term Elohim is used of mighty men or angels. So Hebrews' argument doesn't end with the use of the term itself. But he set up the contrast with the winds and flames of angels so that you pay attention to the fact that this one is not only called Elohim, but his throne is forever and ever. He's an eternal Elohim. And that implies and clarifies that this is not God in some generic sense. This is God in the ultimate sense. And that's why the author of Hebrews then further reinforces that with yet another quote, this time from Psalm 102, verses 25 through 27. And he continues in speaking what God says. He says, and God says,

and you, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning. And the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain. They will all wear out like a garment. Like a robe, you will roll them up. Like a garment, they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.

" Now, there is another hermeneutical question here, because at least in our English translations, once again, you go back and read Psalm 102, and it looks like it's the psalmist speaking to Yahweh. But the author of Hebrews quotes this as the father speaking to the son. So how does this work? Well, to make a long argument short, there's a textual variation of Psalm 102 indicated to us by the Septuagint. And the author of Hebrews is following the Septuagint here. And in the Septuagint, at this juncture of the Psalm, you can actually detect a second speaker. So Yahweh is actually answering someone when he's talking here. And that's why Hebrews applies this to the Son. And therefore, this is the Father speaking to the Son, saying, you, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning. The Son is the creator. He is the eternal God who was already there before the beginning of creation. And He is the sustainer. He is the one who, in the end, will bring this world to a close, who will roll up the sky and change it the way we change our clothes or our bedsheets. And He is the one who will bring about the new creation as well. And through it all, he is the one who remains eternal and unchanging, for his years will have no end. He is the Lord God. And therefore, with great clarity and hermeneutical precision, the author of Hebrews has drawn these three quotes together to establish the contrast that the angels are mutable created beings, but the Son is the eternal creator. And that brings us to the third and final contrast, which is that angels are servants, but the Son rules. And this is established by one final quote, this time from Psalm 110, verse 1. Picking up at verse 13, the author of Hebrews says,

and to which of the angels has God ever said, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Now, Psalm 10 was already referenced back in verse 3. It will also be cited repeatedly throughout the letter. It's the Psalm that declares that the Messiah, who's exalted to the right hand of God, is at the very same time a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. So it's key for the whole argument throughout the book. But here it's quoted to emphasize the fact that the son sits at God's right hand. You see, attendants of a king always stand in his presence. They stand ready to be sent, ready to go forth and do his bidding. This is why the angel Gabriel, when he comes, he says,

I am Gabriel, I stand in the presence of God.

But only the son sits there. In fact, God himself even says to the son,

sit here until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

I mean, it's almost as if God is the one serving him, propping up his feet by bringing his enemies into submission while the son sits relaxed. Angels, by contrast, verse 14 says,

are all ministering spirits sent out to serve. for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.

I mean, not only would God never say to an angel, sit here while I put your enemies beneath your feet, God even sends his angels out to serve us, to serve the people of his son, the people for whom Christ died so that he may have the full reward for his sufferings, and so that then his enemies may all be brought into subjection beneath him. So the Son rules and angels serve. Angels are mutable, created beings, but the Son is the eternal creator. Angels are worshipers, but the Son shares the position of God. These three contrasts beautifully flesh out and reinforce what we read in verse four, that the Son has become as far superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. In fact, in a literarily masterful way, it even sort of mimics the chiasm from verses one through four. Because once again, we see the layers of Jesus' exaltation and reign bookending these affirmations of his deity. But as much as we could spend all day further appreciating the nuances of this argument and dissecting the intricate, exegetical work the author of Hebrews has done, we need to turn our attention to what surely some of you are already asking. But just so what? What practical difference does this make for our lives? I mean, especially if you already came in today convinced that Jesus is greater than angels. What difference does this make for you? Well, thankfully, the author of Hebrews doesn't leave us guessing. Like any good preacher, he shifts from detailed, technical, exegetical work to an impassioned exhortation and plea. He's not just writing to convince minds, but to move hearts. So look with me at what he says in chapter two, verse one. He says, therefore, okay, this is what I'm driving at. This is why I'm saying these things.

We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

In other words, all of this has been aimed to convince the Hebrews and to convince us not to drift away. And that brings us to the second point in the sermon, the second question, which is why might we drift away? Why might we drift away? Now, as we've already discussed, there were Jewish Christians here who were at risk of drifting away from Christ and returning to Judaism. But there's also 21st century Christians like us, who could be at risk of drifting away from traditional biblical Christianity into various forms of deconstruction. There's busy Christians with demanding jobs, tired moms, ambitious college students, at risk of drifting away from Christ due to so many other competing demands in a life, so many other ambitions, There are Christians undergoing trials, maybe in the form of health problems, strange relationships, grief, loss, suffering, disappointment, persecution, whatever trial it may be. These are things that can put us at risk of drifting away because we take our eyes off of Christ and onto the wind and the waves around us. And then there are tempted Christians. for whom sin seems enticing, those who have begun to flirt with sin, to contemplate sin, who think to themselves, maybe I can veer off the path just a little. I can drift just a bit and it'll be all right. You see, all these are ways that we can fall asleep in what feels like the safety of our Christian harbor. Only like that 10-year-old boy to wake up to find ourselves adrift on the open seas. So why does this happen? Why do we drift away and what's the remedy for it? Well, verse one already contains the answer. It's because we fail to pay much closer attention to what we've heard. And we thereby neglect the great salvation that's been given to us. And why do we do that? Well, it's always because deep down we underestimate the greatness of the messenger. And as the author of Hebrews began,

in these last days, God has spoken to us by his son.

And the point he's been driving is that in view of the greatness and the glory of the son, how could we not pay the utmost attention to what he has to say? I mean, if Joshua could tell the Israelites after they had received the Mosaic covenant,

this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

Well, how much more should we be careful to meditate on the message that has come to us through the son of God himself? If, as verse two says,

the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how then shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

Well, friends, Christ has come to us publishing peace, proclaiming eternal salvation, inviting even sinners like you and me who've rejected him, who've rebelled against God, who've done things that we are so ashamed of, inviting us freely to come to Him, all of grace, all a free gift, that those on death row can be set free and promised to receive every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Well, friends, what a horrible tragedy it would be to drift away from a salvation like that. I mean, it's like having the greatest treasure imaginable in your grasp, yet losing it by sheer inattention and neglect. It's like a cancer patient having, you know, this revolutionary cure to cancel cancer in the palm of their hand, then just misplacing it, losing it out of carelessness. Like having a winning lottery ticket, but accidentally throwing it away. Or like a man who's lost at sea who finally finds an island, but in laziness allows himself to drift away. I mean, it's a tragedy of tragedies. And it only happens when one fails to appreciate the greatness of what they've received. So how do we not do that? I mean, practically speaking, how do we avoid drifting away? I've got four thoughts for you. And the first, and I think the single most important thing, would be that we need to find a way to be continually reminded and mesmerized. by the greatness and the glory of Christ. I mean, find a Christian who is just in love with Jesus, in awe of Jesus, who has high thoughts of Christ on their mind by day and night because they meditate on his word and they're just thinking about who he is and his love and his faithfulness and his glory. And I'll show you a Christian who's not gonna drift away. But the danger is when Christ himself starts to lose center place in our Christianity. I mean, sometimes we're even reading the Bible and reading Christian books, but it's always things like how to be a better parent, how to overcome trials, how to battle anger, how to do this, how to do that. And it's like Christ himself has somehow become less interesting to us. Or maybe we do even study theology. We even study Christology. But we allow it to become this merely intellectual pursuit. Something to debate, facts to learn, things I can use to win the next argument. I've got friends kind of like chewing food without swallowing. I mean, studying theology without being led into wonder and worship and love for Christ is incomplete. It's stopping short. And sometimes I wonder if people deconstruct because Christianity for them was just about having the better argument and winning a debate. They were just following what they thought was the most compelling preacher, but then another more compelling debater comes along and they drift away. But friends, for us, it must be about Christ. It must be because, as the author of Hebrews is trying to do here, we have seen his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father. And therefore nothing could ever pull us away. And even if you don't struggle with the question of whether Christ is truly greater than angels, what do you sometimes think could be greater than Christ? Or maybe more accurately, what do you sometimes live like is greater than Christ? Friends, let us strive to be ever mesmerized by the greatness and the glory of Christ himself. Now, second thing that I think we need to do to not drift away, we need to pay careful attention to all that's written in God's word. You know, some are led into deconstruction because they've so focused on intellectual arguments that they fail to really enjoy a true relationship with Christ. Well then others are vulnerable to deconstruction because they just have no firm theological foundation. Ephesians 4 speaks of those who are like children,

tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

Here are people who are quite literally caused to drift away by false teachers. And those could come in the form of these Jewish preachers that are likely influencing the Hebrews to whom this book is written, making them question, oh, is this teaching about Jesus really true? Or it could come in the forms of so many other things. And again, the answer to every counterfeit is to know the truth well enough that you can detect the counterfeit. So we need to be people who pay careful attention to what God's word really says, who develop sound biblical theology so that we're not easily duped and led astray by false teachings. Number three, we need to be careful not to drift away by being zealous to actually put into practice Christ's commands. We've already talked about the heart and the mind, but we need to talk about the will. Because at the end of the day, no matter how much we say we love Jesus, no matter how much we think we know Jesus, the measure Christ gives for how much we truly love him is how well do we actually keep his commands. And notice that here in Hebrews, there's not the slightest hint of the idea that the Old Testament required this precise, careful obedience, but now that we're under the New Covenant and under grace, we don't need to be so scrupulous anymore. Actually, Hebrews argues the other way around. I mean, it's in view of this greater revelation from the greater messenger, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard. And obedience, if anything, is even more important for us. Not because it's the way that we earn our salvation, but because if we have truly come to know Christ for who he is as Lord and Savior, we will be utterly committed to keeping his word. And as Jesus himself said,

do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

So Jesus himself says that greatness in his kingdom is measured by careful obedience to every word of God. So let's not deceive ourselves into thinking that we're paying close attention If we just have this cavalier attitude where we just excuse disobedience, let us be striving day by day to obey Christ. And where we fail, let us repent and then turn back to obedience to him. And then fourth and final, how do we avoid drifting away? We do it by avoiding isolation. You know, all of us will at times have our attention lapse. I mean, sooner or later, all of us can be like that boy out fishing, getting sleepy, wanting to take a nap. And just think about how different it would have been for the boy if others were with him. That after he fell asleep and starts to drift, there are people to wake him up. And spiritually, that's what we need as well. People at times to shake us, to say, don't enter in temptation, watch and pray. We need people to stir us up at times to love and good works, to remind us that the day is drawing near, to remind us of Christ and what he's done for us. This is why the author of Hebrews will later say,

do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together.

So part of how we don't drift away is by prioritizing Christian fellowship and public worship. So let's prioritize that. So we've seen why some drift away, how we can avoid it, But I want to turn our attention now to a third point, a third question, which is what happens to those who do drift away? What happens to those who do drift away? Now, as we work through the book of Hebrews, we will address the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints or the security of the believer. And it is true that Jesus keeps his own. But even in light of that, we must not blunt the force of what the author of Hebrews is saying here. Because he continues in verse two,

for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

In other words, if the law specified particular punishments for every disobedience, If God sent a plague on the Israelites when they complained about the manna in the wilderness and demanded meat to eat, if they were sentenced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years because they refused to enter the promised land, if many of them died because they broke the covenant with their Redeemer and worshiped a golden calf instead, then how shall we escape if we neglect a salvation which is so much greater? We haven't just been fed manna, but Christ has given his own body and blood for us. We haven't just been promised an earthly land flowing with milk and honey, but we have been promised eternal life in a new heavens and a new earth. And we haven't just been freed from slavery in Egypt, but freed from slavery to sin, death, and Satan, so that we might belong to Christ and Christ alone. And therefore, if we neglect this salvation, If we fail to pay attention to this and we drift away, how then shall we escape? I mean, later in Hebrews, he even makes this more clear and intense. He says,

if anyone who has set aside the law of Moses died without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses, how much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God? and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the spirit of grace.

" This is why he says there will be no escape. I mean, heaven and hell are hanging in the balance. The day is coming when God's wrath will be unleashed like a mighty flood. And for any who have drifted from the safety of Christ's harbor, or any who never came to that harbor to begin with, there will be no escape. And friends, the point of this is not just to fill us with fear. God is faithful to keep us. God will give sustaining grace. The purpose of this is not so that we leave just trembling that we might accidentally mess up. But the purpose of this is to cause us to be sober-minded. To not become complacent. To never think that we can use grace as an excuse or a license for sin. Because there are some, as Paul even tells Timothy, who've made shipwreck of their faith. We need to look around. We need to realize that there are some who drift off course, run aground, and like a wrecked ship, have lost everything. And so we must pay much closer attention. Now this brings us to our fourth and final question. Because by this point, we've discussed a lot about who Christ is as the one who is far superior to angels. We've established that whatever God has spoken through his son, we must heed. Because there will be no escape if we neglect it. Brother, the final question is, how do we know we have the right message? I mean, how do we really know that what God spoke through his son has truly come to us? You know, when God gave the law, he thundered on Mount Sinai. All Israels gathered at the base of the mountain. They heard his voice. But the author of Hebrews is now speaking to people who may have never even heard Jesus for themselves. So how did the message come to them? And how does it come to us? Well, notice how he concludes this section. He says, it, that is the message,

was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard. while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

So this is a great salvation that Jesus declared. He came preaching the gospel of the kingdom and also declaring it through his own life, death, and resurrection. But it's then a message, a salvation that was attested to us by those who heard. And of course this is referencing those who were part of Jesus's earthly ministry, especially the apostles who heard from him himself and then were sent out to go and share the message. And notice that the author of Hebrews places himself along with the Hebrews as second-hand recipients of that message.

It was attested to us by those who heard.

And then he adds further, God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. In other words, God didn't just leave the people to take the apostle's word for it. He confirmed the message by various miracles. Kind of like he did with Moses. I mean, there was no question that Moses was God's spokesman, because it was through Moses' staff that God worked miracle after miracle. And so in a similar way, God specially exalted the apostles through miraculous activity. He specially confirmed the new revelation, the message of this great salvation about Christ that was being proclaimed by accompanying it with all sorts of miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit that were confirming this is the true word of God. And the author of Hebrews is referencing that to remind the Hebrews, you've seen this. You know that this is from the Lord, and if you reject it, it will be on your own heads. But friends, you see, the point for us is that the God who speaks is also the God who providentially and sovereignly ensures that his word comes to his people. He preserves it, he delivers it, right? He not only spoke it, but then sent the apostles, then he confirmed it, and then he has preserved it for us. The Holy Spirit then inspired men like the writer of Hebrews to provide for us this perfect record, this perfect word from God for his people from all time. So that when we open up the Bible, we don't need to see a bunch of miracles to know what God is saying to us. We don't need to listen for new things. We can know that God had spoken and God had confirmed his message and that has been preserved in his word. And friends, that's ultimately why we can have this great confidence that what we have in front of us is what God has spoken through His Son. And therefore, to put all the pieces together, the point is this. God has spoken through His Son. His Son is far superior to any angel. Because ultimately his son is the very brightness of his father's glory and the exact imprint of his nature. And in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And therefore what God has spoken in these last days through him is the climactic final word that supersedes all. God has declared this great message of salvation. And he has been faithful not only to speak it, but to confirm it and to preserve it for me and for you. And the great question before us is, will we pay attention? Will we be careful not to neglect this great salvation? If you're here today as someone who's not a Christian, will you repent of your sins and trust in Christ now before it's too late? And if we are here today saying, yes, I do believe in Christ, will we be careful to hold fast and not drift away? Now as we conclude, I wanna return to to that image of a boat adrift. And of course, one of the best ways to avoid drifting is to put down an anchor. And I want you to listen to the anchor that the author of Hebrews tells us about just a little later in chapter six. He says that God has confirmed his promise to us with an oath.

so that we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.

And friends, think for a moment about where our anchor truly is. Christ has gone before us into the Holy of Holies, not here on earth, but the Holy of Holies in heaven. And he is seated there as king and priest forever. And our anchor is there. And so let us hold fast to him because then we will not drift away. Let's pray. Our Father, we thank you that in your love for us, you warn us about the danger of drifting away. We thank you that you have provided an anchor for our souls through Christ. the very object of our hope, the one who has come for us, the one who reigns for us, and the one who is coming again. Lord, I pray that whatever temptation, whatever laziness, whatever would cause us not to pay attention, I pray that you would help us to repent of that, and to pay very close attention, and to hold firmly to you. We pray these things in Jesus' name and for his glory. Amen.