Great Salvation

I. EXORDIUM:

Do you have GOD's Great Salvation?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To know the difference between Law and Grace in the area of punishment.

IV. TEXT:

Hebrews 2:2-3 (Amplified Bible)

2:2 For if the message given through angels [the Law spoken by them to Moses] was authentic and proved sure, and every violation and disobedience received an appropriate (just and adequate) penalty,

2:3 How shall we escape [appropriate retribution] if we neglect and refuse to pay attention to such a great salvation [as is now offered to us, letting it drift past us forever]? For it was declared at first by the Lord [Himself], and it was confirmed to us and proved to be real and genuine by those who personally heard [Him speak].

V. THESIS:

More GOD'S Grace where sin is present.

VI. TITLE:

Great Salvation

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Date of writing: Before AD. 70

B. Style of writing: Best Greek style

C. Authorship: Not specific, but generally attributed to Apostle Paul. Can be also ascribed to Barnabas, Luke, Apollos

D. Audience: Hebrew Christians

E. Theme: Christ is superior to the prophets; Christ is superior to angels—J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible

F. Purpose: The chief doctrinal purpose of the writer was to show the transcendent glory of the Christian dispensation, as compared with that of the Old Testament.—Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

G. Keyword: better

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. The Law can only bind you to it's laws and can only offer punishment

"For if the message given through angels [the Law spoken by them to Moses] was authentic and proved sure, and every violation and disobedience received an appropriate (just and adequate) penalty,"

Acts 7:53 (Amplified Bible)

7:53 You who received the Law as it was ordained and set in order and delivered by angels, and [yet] you did not obey it!

Galatians 3:19 (Amplified Bible)

3:19 What then was the purpose of the Law? It was added [later on, after the promise, to disclose and expose to men their guilt] because of transgressions and [to make men more conscious of the sinfulness] of sin; and it was intended to be in effect until the Seed (the Descendant, the Heir) should come, to and concerning Whom the promise had been made. And it [the Law] was arranged and ordained and appointed through the instrumentality of angels [and was given] by the hand (in the person) of a go-between [Moses, an intermediary person between God and man].

The Law of Moses is incomplete in itself, it was only used by GOD to point to the Seed, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. The Law served it's purpose by pointing us to the SON who can really saved us because JESUS is the Mediator between GOD and man, something which the Law can't do. The Law's response to every violation and disobedience was punishment.

Examples:

1. Korah and 250 people who followed Korah died after rebelling againts Moses.

Numbers 16:31-35 (Amplified Bible)

16:31 As soon as he stopped speaking, the ground under the offenders split apart

16:32 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households and [Korah and] all [his] men and all their possessions.

16:33 They and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol (the place of the dead); and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the assembly.

16:34 And all Israel who were round about them fled at their cry, for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also.

16:35 And fire came forth from the Lord and devoured the 250 men who offered the incense.

2. Nadab and Abihu disobeyed the LORD by offering unauthorized fire before Him, even if they are sons of Aaron.

Leviticus 10:1-2 (Amplified Bible)

10:1 AND NADAB and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and offered strange and unholy fire before the Lord, as He had not commanded them.

10:2 And there came forth fire from before the Lord and killed them, and they died before the Lord.

3. Israelites died of snake bites after murmuring against GOD and Moses regarding absence of bread and water.

Numbers 21:6 (Amplified Bible)

21:6 Then the Lord sent fiery (burning) serpents among the people; and they bit the people, and many Israelites died.

B. This Great Salvation preached by the LORD, was confirmed, proved to be real and genuine personally by us

"How shall we escape [appropriate retribution] if we neglect and refuse to pay attention to such a great salvation [as is now offered to us, letting it drift past us forever]? For it was declared at first by the Lord [Himself], and it was confirmed to us and proved to be real and genuine by those who personally heard [Him speak]. "