Jesus, Greater Than Angels

I wonder what has your attention this morning. For a lot of us, we're probably thinking about some of the more superficial, the more urgent things of the week. We've got last minute shopping to do, travel plans coming up, maybe a game that we're hoping to catch this afternoon. I think as we start to start really thinking about it, a lot of us maybe have some deeper things on our mind, family, home, career, health, those kind of concerns that sometimes come up, especially this time of year, it seems. And if we really dig down into those concerns, I think fundamentally we're getting down to kind of the core questions that we ask of identity. Who am I really? What matters to me? What is life really about? Those questions are questions that we should be asking. And the Bible answers those deepest questions and really by implication, all of those questions with one word. And that word is Jesus. This world exists for Jesus. We as human beings exist for Jesus. This life is ultimately about knowing Jesus and loving him. That case is made clearly in the New Testament. It's nowhere clearer than in the book of Hebrews. That's what we're going to be studying. We're beginning a series on Hebrews today. And so over the next three weeks and periodically as I preach over the next year or so, we'll try to make our way through the book of Hebrews. So I'm excited about that. I hope you are as well. Hebrews is one of the deepest, most complex books in the New Testament. It explores more deeply than any other book the relationship between the Old and the New Covenants. It demonstrates how the Old has always been looking forward to the New. It portrays the supremacy and the superiority of Jesus Christ like no other book. Hebrews is kind of interesting. We don't know who wrote Hebrews. And we don't know because we don't need to know. God's word has been given to us. The doctrine of inspiration tells us that we have everything we need for life and for godliness. So we needed to know who wrote Paul's letters. We need to know who he wrote to, the context, all those things. God gave those to us for a reason. He didn't give us the author of Hebrews because we don't need that. I think one of the reasons for that is because Hebrews is basically a sermon. It's a sermon written in letter form. It has a letter closing at the end, but it's basically a sermon, a New Testament sermon. And it's about 45 minutes long, for those of you who wonder how long a sermon ought to be. The challenge I want to issue for us as a church, at least as I'm preaching, as we're studying this, is to take time to read the book of Hebrews each week. About 45 minutes reading time, eight minutes a day if you want to break it down that way, but try to read through the book each week as we come to study. So at least for the next two weeks, try to reserve that time during the week to read and to come prepared to hear from God. The audience It seems to be Hebrews, that's how it got its name. It seems to be Jewish Christians who are in danger of losing the gospel. They're tempted to go back to the comfort and the familiarity of worship under the law of the old covenant. And the author's chief concern is to convince them that there's no going back, that there's one way to God and it's through Jesus. They have to hold fast to him and to him alone without wavering. And so we're gonna be studying this morning chapter one and then the first four verses of chapter two. So page 1001 of your Pew Bibles, if you wanna turn there. If you don't have a Bible, I welcome you to take the one in front of you as a gift to you. It is God's word to take and read and hear and learn from it. So 1001, Hebrews chapter one. And I hope for us to see this morning that God has spoken through his son. So listen to him. So that'll be both the theme, the thesis statement, and the outline for this morning. So let's read Hebrews 1. Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. And he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. 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. Of the angels, he says, he makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire. But of the Son, he 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 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. And to which of the angels has he 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? Therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 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? It 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. Amen. So we'll look first at verse one. God has spoken. Long ago at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. We love to hear those words long ago. We're used to hearing those in the context of fairy tales, right? Stories. Perhaps especially for some of those, for some of you who those words were accompanied by in a galaxy far, far away this weekend. But this is, is not a fairy tale. This is a truth claim. And for some, there's a denial that we could even know what the author is talking about, that we could even know this far back into history. But what we're looking at is not a hypothesis. It's not based on archeology. It's not based on historical sociology or psychology or anything like that. It's insider information. We have a privileged view into history by the Lord who is over history. And so what the author wants us to know right at the beginning of this message is that long ago, God spoke. So friends, let's not lose sight. Let's not lose the wonder of the fact that God has spoken. As human beings, we know what we know through observation, through interpretation, through explanation. We study the world and we understand things about it. But when it comes to knowing each other, when it comes to actually getting to know a person, we don't know much until we begin to reveal ourselves to each other through explaining ourselves. That's explanation. And if that's true for us and our human relationships, how much more is it true for our relationship with our creator? We don't know God unless he reveals himself to us. So let's think about what we know and why we know what we know about God. The fact that we even exist, our existence is because God spoke, right? He said, let there be, and there was. Our existence is a result of God's speech, divine speech. God didn't have to create, but he did. And even in creating, God didn't have to create us in the world the way that he did. We've heard from Romans chapter one that God's eternal power, his divine nature are clearly stated in creation, clearly revealed there. So, so God is speaking through creation and we're told that it's everything we need to honor him as God and give thanks to him and therefore to be accountable for the fact that we don't do those things. But God continued to speak. So he wanted a relationship with us that was more intimate than just servants. And so he spoke to our fathers. Now, primarily what the text has in view are the Jewish forefathers. But we know that for Christians, those Old Testament saints are our fathers as well. We are united with them in a common heritage. But the emphasis that the author wants us to see is this generational shift that's taking place. There is a then and a now. And he says that God spoke in many times and in many ways. It was fragmented, it wasn't something that came out all at once. It was revealed over time and it was revealed in various forms. God speaking the creation into existence, audibly calling to people, revealing himself in theophanies, speaking through human and even animal instruments. And all of that is summarized by the term, the prophets. He spoke through the prophets. He's talking about all of the Old Testament, every word, every deed, everything that was recorded for us, every act of mercy and judgment, the torrential storms of God's majesty and his still small voice. All of that is God's speech. It was revealed progressively, different times, different ways, but all equally weighted, all God's word from beginning to end. Now I think it's important for us to remember the reliability of the source. Right? Because in our time, talk is cheap. We joke about different kinds of jobs and professions. We're actually surprised when people tell the truth or carry out their word. You know, we say, I'll believe it when I see it. A mark of someone having good character is being a man or woman of his word or her word. But with God, his character is not in question. He is perfect, and so His Word is absolutely reliable. It's completely dependable. He's undivided in His purpose. He doesn't change His mind. He doesn't make promises that He can't keep. He doesn't contradict Himself. God is perfect. But even more, God's Word is absolutely effective. With God, speaking and doing are one and the same. They're not separable. And none of us have that kind of power, no matter how much integrity you or I have. We say that we're gonna do something, we still have to carry it out and do it. If I say I'm gonna turn on the light, I have to get up and flip the switch, or in this room, the breaker. That's not true with God. God says, let there be light, and there's light. He says, let there be darkness, and there's darkness. Let there be land and sea and fish and birds and animals and people. He says it, and it is. God's word is completely effective. But the interesting thing is, as you read through the Old Testament, it's not intuitive that God's Word is effective, is it? It seems that God's Word is actually not that effective, because God's people are always ignoring His Word, right? Now, at one level, that reflects poorly upon them, and it also stands as a warning to us, right? Because we can be guilty of the same thing. We can be guilty of professing to be God's people, and then contradicting that with our lives. If God is being judged based on our obedience to his word, what does the world think about our God? But as we read the Old Testament, we're sort of left wondering, has God's word failed? If all we had was the Old Testament, that would be a really legitimate question. We'd really be wondering, like, this seems like it did not go well. But the text goes on, and so that brings us to our second point. God has spoken through his son. And this will be the bulk of our sermon. It'll take us from verse two all the way through verse 14. So let me read that first section again, two through four. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son. whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. This invites us to remember some of these great transitions in scripture, doesn't it? But God made you alive. But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness is revealed. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his son to redeem. And so here in this text, we have but in these last days. And this refers to a new era in salvation history, the last phase before God bringing all things to consummation. This is the last quarter, the last period, as it were. And as I said earlier, it refers to a new generation. Formerly God was speaking to the fathers. Now he's speaking to us. And this speech is, is new, but it's not completely new. It's, it's new in relation to old. So the story was started in the old Testament. It was finished in the new Testament. God made promises in the old Testament and the new Testament shows how God kept those promises. This is, this is the time of fulfillment. And that's why reading the Old Testament, it feels incomplete. It's because it is incomplete. It's not finished yet. Notice the change in tense. God has spoken. So he told us that through the prophets and many times and in many ways God spoke, but now he has spoken. This is past action that's complete in the past. The Word through the Son is the last Word from God. We're not expecting to hear anything more or new or different. That's why the Bible is bound the way that it is. It's not a three-ring binder. We're not looking for God to give us another letter to kind of add to the back or in between Revelation and the rest of it. We're not looking for more. God has said everything we need. Once God had finished reporting and interpreting the message of the Son, we're not looking for anything else. It's done. We're seeking to apply what He has given us as we wait for Christ to return. That's why I think we should be careful in our language when we say something to someone else like, God told me X, whatever that is. Unless it's here, that can't carry the same weight as these words do, right? I don't deny, I don't doubt that sometimes God leads us in certain ways to act or to say things, but I think we should be careful in how much weight we give to that. That can't carry more weight than what these words in these pages do. We know this is God's word because he's given it to us. God speaks by his son. So just think about that status. When God decides it's time to bring his final, his complete, his authoritative word to us, he doesn't send a prophet. He doesn't send even an angel. He doesn't send a chief of staff or an ambassador. He sends his son. Everything that Jesus said and did, everything that was inspired and preserved for us in scripture is God's final word to us. Now, as we begin to look at these verses, we are treading on holy ground, as the author explores the significance of the sun. Now, this isn't going to be on the test, but this is a chiasm here. So, if that means something to you, great. If not, don't worry about it. We're going to start with verse 3, because that's the center, that's the most important part of the text, and kind of work our way out as it's all built, it's all hinging on the beginning of verse 3. So we'll look at these phrases separately. The sun is the radiance of the glory of God. The sun is the radiance of the glory of God. So God's glory is the infinite beauty of His perfection. It's God's character made manifest, made tangible and real to us. And in the Old Testament, when God's glory is displayed, it's overwhelming. is depicted as this blinding light that drives people away from it. As imperfect creatures, we can't stand to be in the presence of perfection. But God's Son is the radiance. He's the manifestation of God's glory. As we sang earlier, veiled in flesh, the Godhead, see. Jesus is the manifestation of God's glory. God's glory is on display in the sun in a visible and tangible way. The next phrase is, God's son is the exact imprint of God's nature. And the emphasis here, that he's the imprint of his nature, it means he's made of the same substance. He's of the same essence as God. He's not different. He doesn't fall short in any way. He's not second rate. He is the same thing as God. As Jesus says, to know the son is to know the father. They are one and the same in terms of essence, in terms of their being. The next phrase, the son upholds the universe by the word of his power. And it doesn't simply mean that he passively kind of carries the universe along. He sustains it merely by keeping our hearts beating and lungs breathing and tides turning and planets spinning in proper orbit. It says that Jesus is moving it all to its goal. He's bringing it to pass according to his will. He's working all things together as he sees fit. And notice it says He's doing it by the Word of His power. Just as it is with the Father, so the Son's Word is completely effective. Now as we've looked at that, that's kind of the hub, that's the center part of who the Son is. Now we look out at what He's done. So at the end of verse 2 it says, through whom also He created the world. So the Son was with the Father in the beginning and He was the instrument of creation. So God is creating through the Son. And the emphasis in this word, the use for the word world, is not just the spatial world that we know, the cosmos. It's not just that. It's actually the ages. He's the one who created time and existence as we know it. And so again, he's started it here and he's bringing it all to pass. That's what the text has in view. So when Jesus says, I'm the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, I started it and I'm finishing it. It's all about me. That's what he's saying. Now look back to verse three. after making purification for sins. So we saw in verse 2, He made the world and now He's making purification for sins. And this speaks to the human condition that each of us are born into, right? We are in sin. We are defiled. We are unclean and therefore we can't be in God's presence. We can't have a relationship with Him. But Jesus offered himself on the cross as the perfect sacrifice. And in doing so, he actually cleansed his people from their sin so that they could have access to God. And so he's emphasizing here, the son's work, both in creation and redemption. Look back up to verse two, whom he appointed the heir of all things. And we know that an heir is somebody who's going to inherit something, right? And we see here that the son has been designated as the one who will inherit everything. And this looks back to God's promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. The promise that was then reiterated in Psalm 2 that we'll look at in a moment. God says to the son, ask and I'll make the nations your inheritance. There's one king, one son over all. The world was created through the son, but the world is also created for the son. And we see that appointment in time in his ascension. And that's described in verse three when it says he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high. The first thing to note there is that he sat down. His work as priest making purification for sins is finished. He has completely atoned for the sin. He died. He was raised. He ascended into glory. There's nothing left for him to do in terms of sacrifice. And so he's seated at God's right hand. But he's also seated at God's right hand. He's seated at the very throne of God. And this describes his inauguration as king. He's sharing in the throne and the reign of God, the Father Almighty. God's majesty, talks about the right hand of the majesty on high, the majesty of God, J.I. Packer put it this way, I love it, is at the same time a declaration of his greatness and a demand for worship. A declaration of God's greatness and a demand for worship. And Jesus is sitting. He's receiving that. He's not giving that. He's receiving it. This is a place of unparalleled honor and universal authority. We see in these verses a profound declaration of the greatness of the Son. They demonstrate His unique qualification to be the final revelation from God. They show that the great purpose of all the world, all that we know, all that we do, is centered on Him, on Jesus. He's like no other person in creation. And because of that, He, and He alone, He uniquely can speak for God. So if you're here this morning and you're searching for truth, Jesus is the great prophet who declares God's word, who gives us God's message. If you're here this morning because you're feeling guilty, you're feeling condemned in your sin, Jesus is the great priest who makes purification for sin. If you're here this morning because you need something and you're aware of that need, Jesus is the great king who rules over all. The whole universe is his and at his disposal. We're only three verses in here. The author is beginning with power. This is the most important word about the most important person, the most important thing we can know, and he won't allow us to have a deficient view of Jesus. He's not just a teacher. He's not just a philosopher or a revolutionary or just a sweet little baby in the manger. Jesus is God. The author moves from here into a direction that feels odd to us when he starts talking about angels. So he says, having become as much as superior to the two angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Now this feels odd to us because we don't think about angels a lot other than this time of year when we sing about what they're singing about, but we sing to angels because of what they're singing about. But anyway, we think about angels as little children, little babies with wings and they're cute and we put them on our mantles and put them on our Christmas trees and they look really pretty. But that doesn't really square with what the Bible describes as angels. The best way that I've heard it put is to understand angels, okay? The most common reaction in the Bible when an angel shows up is to wet your pants. That's the best way to understand what an angel says. When we see the angel coming to Mary and to the shepherds, the first thing they say is, don't be afraid. In other words, I'm not here to kill you. That's what they're saying. Angels are powerful, supernatural, spiritual beings who have played a unique role throughout salvation history. We see in the Old Testament the angel of the Lord mentioned several times, both in Revelation and in Redemption. The New Testament even confirms that there was an angelic mediator involved in giving the law from God to Moses on Mount Sinai. So Stephen talks about that in his sermon, and Paul makes reference to it in Galatians. In our time, in 21st century, America, we probably don't make enough of angels. But that doesn't seem to be the case for the first century recipients of this message. Elsewhere in the New Testament, we actually see warnings to the church about not getting caught up in the worship of angels. There was a kind of fascination with the supernatural that caused them to be distracted from the main point of the gospel, and so we should be aware of that. The author's point is that Jesus is the definitive, superior, complete source of revelation from God. He's greater than any prophet that came before him. He's greater even than angels, these supernatural beings. He has inherited a unique and preeminent place with respect both to creation and redemption. He, and he alone, is the Son. And so from verses 5 to 14 then, it begins to survey the Old Testament, talking about the Son, talking about this prophesied person who was coming, to show us that this is God's plan all along. This is what God has been doing all along. There's been one plan from beginning to end, and the prophets who spoke to the fathers were looking forward to this Son. So as we get into this section, I want us to look at it, I think it breaks down into two parts. The first three quotes and the last four together. So the first three are looking at the relationship between the Father and the Son, and the second three, I mean the second four are looking at the role difference between the Son and angels. So let's look at those quotes. In verse five, for to which of the angels did God ever say, you are my Son, today I have begotten you? So this is a quote, as I said, from Psalm 2. It shows that beyond this world that's in rebellion against God, there is a divine counsel between the Father and the Son, this plan to exalt the son as the heir of all things. The verse looks to a new dimension of their relationship based on the son's obedience. So looking forward, remember with God, saying and doing are the same. God is seeing the completed work of his son and saying, as a result of this, our relationship has gone to the next level. You are exalted, you are the heir of all things. He's accomplishing the father's plan. That's what's going on in Psalm 2. Then he quotes, The next one, or again, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. So that promise in 2 Samuel made to David about his son, right? Your son will be the king forever. He will be my son as well. It's kind of, kind of odd for us to think about that, but we see clearly that's what God was doing in Jesus, right? That's why the lineage to David is in Matthew's genealogy. The point is clear that God is saying that I have this unique relationship with this one. It's not clear how that is, but it's clear that it is so. So then in verse six, and again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says, let all God's angels worship him. So the firstborn refers to the unique status of the son and God bringing him into the world, I think is not primarily a Christmas. Text as much as we would like that. I think it's actually an eschatological Texas looking forward. It's the new world. It's the world that Christ now currently reigns in. So Christ is the firstborn among many brothers. He is already reigning in the world that God will recreate. And the point is that in heaven and future glory, angels are worshiping Jesus. So angels are not exalted together with Jesus. Angels are summoned, angels are commanded to worship him. So that's the identity. And the second four, I want us to look at the role of the difference between what the angels do and what the son does. So verse seven, of the angels, he says, he makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire. So this quote is from Psalm 104 and it's contrasting the Lord with the rest of creation. So you have God, and then you have all of creation, the light, the sky, the water, the clouds, the wind, the angels. All those things belong to one order and God is over here by himself. Angels worship God. Angels do what God says for them to do. So angels are certainly viewed positively. They're good, good things, but they're creatures, they're servants. They're inferior to the sun. So listen to verse eight and nine. But of the sun, he says, your throne, oh 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. So here is Psalm 45, is where this quote is coming from, and it's talking to a king who is God, who is anointed by God. Again, we're not entirely sure, without the New Testament interpretation, even what is being described there. But here we see the Father's joy in the Son and His obedience in accomplishing His plan. We see the Son exalted as the forever King. So God is making His angels do what He wants them to do, but He's exalting the Son. You are the King. Your throne is forever. Verse 10. 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 have no end. So this quote is from Psalm 102, and it shows that in addition to being the forever king, this this king, this son is eternal. He's the creator. He's bringing all things to their conclusion. He has no end. He is unchanging. Verse 13. And to which of the angels has he ever said, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet? So this quote from Psalm 110 is where the author of Hebrews actually will spend a lot of his time exploring the implications from Psalm 110. And so it shows the son presently enthroned, reigning, looking forward to the culmination of all of his enemies being subdued and placed under his feet. And so in all of these quotes, what the point that the author is making is crystal clear. The old Testament has always been looking forward to one great King to rule over creation, to God's son, who would come. Jesus is that son. Verse 14 says, are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who, who are to inherit salvation? So we have the contrast here. Angels serve. But the sun is sovereign. Angels are created beings, but the sun is the eternal king over creation. Verse 14 tells us also that the purpose of angels says they are ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. We don't know everything about the inner workings of angels. We shouldn't, shouldn't become obsessed with trying to figure out the inner working of angels beyond what God has told us. We know they are sent out by God to serve for the sake of those who are inheriting salvation. And again, here, we're just sort of peeking into the divine mind. We saw in the first four verses that God has established all of creation for displaying his glory in his son. And here we're told that there's a spiritual world behind the physical one that we know and that spiritual beings somehow are at work for that same purpose. All of the quotes that we just read emphasize that the son's mission was to inherit a people. Right. And that's, that's the amazing thing about all of this. Somehow we are the beneficiaries. God didn't have to create, he didn't have to make us in his image. He didn't have to redeem us, but he has. And it was his will to create us so that his character would be displayed and known and loved and worshiped in the world. And everything that exists exists for Christ. And yet we somehow benefit from that. The text is clear that there are some who inherit salvation. Those who are united with Christ by faith have the benefit of his reign over them, his protection of them, his purification of them, and share in his inheritance. Yes, the creation exists for God, for Christ, and yet somehow we're caught up in the midst of it. It's not about us at all, and yet on another level, we're at the very center of what God is doing in the world. Brothers and sisters, this is a privilege angels themselves do not enjoy. 1 Peter tells us that the angels long to look into the mystery of the gospel. They don't get it. They stand on the outside looking in. And here it is for us to experience firsthand God's love in Christ. It's kind of like the UPS man who, in my mind, comes to Tiffany and Company every day and picks up the fine jewelry to then take to different places around the world. You know, he's holding these precious pieces, but he never experiences them firsthand. He's not giving them, he's not receiving them, he's just handling them. He's just taking them from one person to the other. And yet when Mr. Tiffany's son falls in love and they work together and they custom design the most beautiful ring that's ever been made, they don't give it to the UPS man, right? The son takes it and delivers it to the bride and he proposes and he puts it on her finger. And something like that is the point that the author is making for us. The most important thing we could ever have, the greatest news that we could ever hear has been announced to us by God himself in God, the son. And if that's the case, then there's only one proper response, and that's to listen. So let's look at point three, to listen, in the beginning of chapter two. Therefore, we must pay closer attention, much closer attention, to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 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? It 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. We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard. And so he's making an argument here from the lesser to the greater. The message declared by angels was reliable. Every transgression, every disobedience received a just retribution. So if we think about it, if the message declared by angels was the law, we see that the law has its intended purpose. Just like we've seen in Romans. The law doesn't make us righteous. It can't do that. But the law can condemn us. It can shut our mouths and make us accountable to God. We stand before Him with no excuse. That's the message of the angels. The law. No righteousness apart from Christ. But the message we have, friends, is the message of the Son. And as the author says, it is such a great salvation. God's wrath and judgment are coming. God's wrath will fall upon every human being. And yet for those united with Christ by faith, we are shielded, we are protected from that wrath, we are delivered from judgment into the kingdom of the Son. It is a great salvation. It's an unbelievable salvation. It's the message that we're so sinful that God had to die for us, but we're so loved that God would die for us. It's so amazing that we have to sing about it. Amazing love, how can it be that thou, my God, would die for me? O come, let us adore him. It was declared first by the Lord, by the Son. It was attested by those who heard while God bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will. What I think this means is that God pulls out all the stops. In everything about the story of Jesus, it's why we love this time of year, it's why we love to sing the same songs and read the same pieces of scripture. In everything about the story of Jesus, God is drawing our attention. From the angel's announcement in Bethlehem, to Jesus' baptism, to his miracles, to the transfiguration, to the darkness of Golgotha, to the empty tomb, to his ascension from Pentecost, and sending the Holy Spirit, bringing about the miracles, the advancing of the gospel with signs and wonders in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, to the ends of the earth. All of that, God is pulling all the stops. And then finally, climactically almost, in the local church. That's right, I think he's talking here about the local church. Now if you know anything about the Bible, you know most of the things that I just listed speak for themselves. They're clearly divine intervention, clearly God at work. But I think the New Testament is clear that when he's talking about gifts of the Holy Spirit, they are being made manifest in the local church. So just think about how the church is bearing witness to this message. The church, God speaking through the church, God authenticating the message of the son, from the virgin birth to the baptism, all of these things, God's speaking. And now God is speaking through the church. The church, First Timothy describes as the pillar and foundation of truth. So we have been entrusted with the gospel message to protect it, to not compromise it, to preserve it, but also to build upon it. And in Ephesians 3, God calls the church the place where God's manifold wisdom is to be displayed. So by uniting every kind of sinner in Christ, we are called to be a community where we make the gospel visible and tangible and accessible to the world. And he says, God, the spirit is present and active in the church, both to preserve that message and to display the love of Christ to the world, to change our hearts, to seal us together, to grow us to maturity in Christ. That's what God continues to use, continues to speak through the church as we bear witness to the authenticity of his message. And if you just think about your own testimony, that's what happened, right? A Christian connected to a local church came to you, shared the gospel with you, loved you, demonstrated Christ's life for you, and that's why you're here. We're so thankful for that. God used all kinds of people to bring us here. So let me ask you as members of Jefferson Park Baptist Church, are we living up to that responsibility? Is God speaking through us? Is the gospel so clear and so real here that people can't help but see our God is real. He's at work. Are you as an individual consciously responding to the gospel and its call as it relates to you and your brothers and sisters here in this church? Sometimes we're tempted to focus on different kinds of gifts and value different gifts above others. Even in our circle, we're tempted to do that. The gifts of the spirit are distributed according to his will. Friends, we all have different testimonies, different experiences. The point is never how we came to know. The point is that we know. And now that we know, friends, what are we gonna do with it? The question that the author asks us is, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? And of course, the implied answer is we can't. We can't escape. It's a message of exclusivity. There is one great salvation and there's no escape apart from it. God's judgment is on us all. And one of the miracles that I don't think we've considered really is not just that God speaks, but that God speaks and we live. So God says through Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 4, ask now about the former days long before your time, from the day God created human beings on the earth. Ask them from one end of the heavens to the other, has anything so great as this ever happened or has anything like it ever been heard of? So what is this great unimaginable thing? What has happened? Has any other people heard the voice of God speaking out of the fire as you have and lived? In some place, this room is a dangerous place to be, isn't it? We can't unhear what we've heard. We can't unlearn what we've come to know. And so in some ways, we're all dodging bullets every week, right? As we're reminded of God's truth, as God's wrath, as God's judgment comes down upon us every week as we hear his word, we're all dodging bullets as it were. But we know that for each one of us, our day is coming. And so if you're here this morning and you're not a Christian, I just beg you to consider what will you do with the truth that you've heard? The gospel call upon every one of us is to turn, to flee from our sin, to stop ignoring and rejecting God, to turn to Jesus Christ in faith and to trust his saving work on your behalf, his death on the cross in your place, to listen to his word, to submit to him as king, to turn to Christ. If you have questions about that, please do not leave without talking to me or someone you know in this room. Christian, what are you doing with this truth? The controlling command here in this section is that we must pay attention. And we see that the consequence for not paying attention is just drifting. It's like being in moving water, in a current. If you're not actively fighting against it, or if you're not anchored to something that's fixed, you're gonna be drifting, you're gonna be flowing downstream. Drifting is really easy because it's completely passive, right? Neglecting is easy. Holding fast and paying attention are hard. This tendency to drift that the author is addressing and commanding us not to neglect reveals for Christians our ongoing need for the gospel. The gospel is not a one-time deal that you sort of get, you get it right, you check the box or whatever, and then you're sort of set free and clear. It's something that we need every day, every hour as Christians. And so if you are here this morning with a doctrine of perseverance of the saints or eternal security or once saved, always saved or whatever that thing is that you want to call it, and it weakens your resolve to hold fast to Christ, then it's never Christ that you had a hold of to begin with. Saving faith always drives us to ongoing, deepening dependence upon Christ. And so just as a resource, I wanna make available to you, we gave this book out last year, The Gospel Primer for Christians. If your household does not have a copy of this book, I'd love to make that available to you so you can see me afterward. But it's a helpful daily guide to how to meditate, how to drive the gospel into our hearts to affect every aspect of our lives. The fact that this text is here tells us that we're all prone to a sort of a spiritual attention deficit disorder. And that can be related to significant things like our lives, our spouses, our family, our health, our job, things that really matter that are not unimportant, and even superficial things like the gifts that we have waiting for us under the tree or like lunch if you're like me. So I asked at the beginning, something has your attention this morning. What is it? What is the message that you're listening to that you're honed in on this morning? A couple of weeks ago, Keith used the illustration of a screensaver. When something isn't going on, when something else isn't commanding your attention, where does your mind go? What is it that kind of pops up and commands your attention? And I like that illustration, and I'm challenged by that illustration. But I don't want us to lose sight of the fact that for Christians, the gospel isn't just the screensaver. It's also the operating system. It has to be what's going on inside in the background. And I'm going to get way over my head with computers here, but it's what's producing the outcomes that we want as well. Paying attention. has to mean more than just having a daily quiet time, more than just sitting in front of these pages for a few minutes a day, but certainly not less than that. It means being informed and constrained and transformed by the gospel so that no part of your life is untouched. It means you don't relate to people the same way as you used to. It means you don't work the same way that you used to. You don't spend your money or your time the same way that you used to. And so this text is a call to arms. It's one of the first of many we're going to hear in the book of Hebrews. It's a call to a life and death battle to focus on Christ and not neglect his great salvation. There's no way to get there by drifting. It will take effort. It will take your life. One of the great ironies, I think, is that God doesn't always speak with the loudest voice, but always with the most important voice. So one of the things we're trying to train our children to do is that no matter what's going on, no matter where we are, if they hear me say their name, they're honed into my tone, my pitch, whatever, to hear my voice and to stop what they're doing and come to me. Now, I said we're working on that. So don't judge me based on what happens after the service. We are trying to get there. My voice is always the most important voice for them. No matter what their friends are saying, no matter what else is going on, they need to hear my voice saying, come to me. So to be clear, God does have the loudest voice. If God spoke at full volume, he would destroy all of us. And yet for this time, for right now, he speaks quietly. And he even allows his voice to be disregarded at times. And that's the great tragedy of our condition is that our hearts are blind and deaf to the gospel's glory until God steps in and changes them. And even then we have to ask God to first tune our hearts to hear his grace and then to sing his grace. But when God speaks, we cannot walk away unchanged. So we should be asking ourselves, is God's voice one among many in my life? Or is it actually the controlling voice? Is it actually the voice that commands the others? So we talked about being informed and constrained and transformed by the word. If you're constrained by the word, then what is it that God's word keeps you from doing that you would otherwise do? Or what does God's word force you to do that you otherwise wouldn't do? That's a way to tell, are you being actually constrained? Or is God's word just a guide that's helpful to you and it gives you some practical things, but you ultimately do what you want to do? Or does God's word force you out of your comfort zone to do what you otherwise wouldn't do? And then are you being transformed by the word? Is it actually after pushing you out of your comfort zone, actually giving you a deeper, greater joy than you would have had before? Are your affections and your desires being more conformed to God's will and His ways and you're actually finding more life outside of what you thought was comfortable? The question for all of us is how do we learn? How do we practice tuning out the rival voices to listen to the one voice, the one message that we must hear? And I think it starts just with this text understanding that we are in a current. Understanding that this is going to be work, it's going to take effort. One thing I think practically we can do is just not allow ourselves to get in situations where we have lots of idle time and opportunities to drift. And I can't imagine a time in history when it's been easier to drift than it is now. We have literally the world in the palm of our hands with access to the internet. Right? So immediately I can be transported out of this world into the world of my own creation where everything is what I want it to be. All the shopping that I want to do, all the people that I want to interact with are right here. Right? And I'm gone out of this world. It is so easy to do that. I was struck with the leisure group on Monday after dinner. You know, I mean, after lunch, you know what happened? Everybody sat around the table and talked. Nobody got their phone out to interact with each other. It was, it was a breath of fresh air. It is so easy to drift and we make it easy for ourselves to drift, but proactively removing those opportunities from our lives, not giving ourselves time and opportunities to drift, but proactively. So we take that out of our lives, but we have to proactively fill ourselves. We have to prioritize listening to God's word, thinking and doing and putting those things into practice, filling ourselves, filling that void with God and his truth. And I think the implication for this is we have to acknowledge that we aren't called to do this alone. So I think one of the practical things we need to do is just come to each other and say, hey, here's why I'm struggling. Here's my life situation. You're farther along than me. You're in a completely different life situation than me. You're in the same life situation as me. Whatever it is, come and say, how do you prioritize listening to God? How do you prioritize following his word? Just be honest and say, here's what my life looks like. I'm having trouble figuring out what's missing, but something's not working. Here's what's going on. Open yourself up. Expose yourself to those kind of questions. And be proactive in helping others. This is why each of us have been gifted by the Spirit, is to help each other hold fast to Christ, to see Him, to listen to Him, and follow Him. Recognize the essential need we have to be together both around the word in these gatherings and each other's lives throughout the week. That's going to be one of the central themes of Hebrews. We're going to hear again and again. We need one another to hold fast to Christ. The truth is, I don't need any one of you this morning to help me think about football or hunting or food or any of those things. I'm not saying you can't talk to me about them. I'm not saying that they're bad. I'm just saying I don't need you to help me think about those things, because I'm going to think about those things, right? What I need you to help me think about, and I mean this, is Jesus. I need you to help me think about Jesus. I need you to remind me of my great salvation in Him, to remember that all things were created for Him, that all things are intended to result in worship Him, to remind me of my responsibility to give thanks in all things, to trust Him and follow Him and be faithful to what He calls me to do, to use all things to worship Christ and not to terminate in themselves. That's what I need from you, and that's what you need from me. In a lot of ways, Christmas kind of becomes a parable for all of this. It's the time of year when we as a church intentionally set aside time to think about the incarnation that marks the beginning of God speaking to us through his son. So friends, don't let the bells and the music and the lights and the presence distract you from what really matters. The world is desperately trying to trick us into thinking that salvation is found in the next thing, right? That gift under the tree, that relationship that's coming, a new year and a new beginning and a new job or whatever else it is. All the while we're drifting downstream to destruction. The most important message of the world is here. It's here. There is one great salvation, one way to eternal life, one way to a relationship with God, and it's under no tree, friends. It is at the right hand of God the Father, the majesty on high. That's the truth that we must give ourselves to and hold fast to this week at Christmas, every week of the year as God's people. Brothers and sisters, we have heard this morning once again from the Word of God and lived. We will not escape if we neglect so great a salvation. God has spoken through his son, so listen to him. Let's pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank you this morning that you have spoken. God, we acknowledge that we have no right to hear from you other than judgment. And so, Lord, we praise you that you have spoken. You have spoken through your Son. You have spoken a word of salvation for us. We praise you for that salvation, Lord, that came at infinite cost to you and that we come with nothing. without money to take from you. Lord, we worship you because of that. We pray that you would help us, Lord, today, this week, every week, to hold fast to Christ. Not to take our eyes, not to take our focus off of him, but to pay much closer attention lest we drift from him. And Father, we pray that you would use us in each other's life to help each other, to hold fast, We would see our responsibility, we would see the burden for our fellow brothers and sisters, and we would go to them. We would hold onto Christ together until he returns. And we pray this in his name, amen.