Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Paul is talking about the WORD of God that came through the Men of God.
Paul is saying that If we don’t take hold of the Help God has given us ....we can’t be helped.
All that we need to WALK in VICTORY in this life is IN the Word of God.
Psalms 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
All the Healing and Deliverance we will ever need has already been provided.
What we do with what He has Provided is UP TO US.....
I remember a Story from childhood about a FLOOD that came rather suddenly upon the land.
People were scrambling to get out of harms way....
Except one Man: He was adamant that God would Save Him......and so he refused to leave.
As the flood waters got higher and higher.....
A neighbor came by in his fishing boat and Offered the Man a ride to safety.....
But the man Refused saying "God will save me"-----and the water kept rising......
Later a rescue worker happened by the man and Stopped to pick him up in his boat.....
but the man refused declaring "God will save me"----And the water continued to rise.
A 3rd Rescue attempt came when a man in a Helicopter spotted the man.....
They stopped and offtered him a ride to safety ----again the man Refused saying "God will save me"
The man finally drowned and on arrival to heaven was more than a little distraught.
"I was sure you would save me" the man complained to the Lord, "How could you let this happen to me?"
To which the Lord replied "I sent three people by to get you and you refused them all"
Our Text said Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
We need to Recognize that We have All We Need to Be Overcomers in Life IN THE WORD of God.
We need to Hold onto the Word ----
It’s our Help ---It’s our strength ---It’s our roadmap----
It is our KEY TO VICTORY ....You say "I thought Jesus was our key to Victory?"
He is .....but Jesus and the Word are One and the Same.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,....
It’s not enough that we Know WHERE our VICTORY LIES ----
We must also know how to Acheive Victory in our LIVES.......How to Apply the Word to Our lives.
Hebrews 4:2 talks about people who HEARD the Word of God but DID NOT BENEFIT from it......
because they didn’t DO anything with it......
Those folks DIED in the WILDERNESS, but They didn’t Have to.....
They had the Promise of Victory Just like We Do.
It’s been said "For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: ’It might have been"
The Good News for us is that It’s Not To Late to turn our Lives Around......
We may have missed out on some of the "might have been" but there’s still Time to Turn It Around......
Psalms 119:11 Gives us some Great Advice on "How to Avoid the Might have beens"
It says "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."
Putting the Word of God Deep into our hearts is the Key to Avoiding Sin and Calamity in our lives.
Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Jesus and the Word are One ----So the Key to an ABUNDANT Life is THE WORD
Notice the first part of this Verse: Jesus calls satan the THIEF....
and says he came to STEAL, and to KILL and to DESTROY.....
He didn’t say steal, OR kill OR Destroy ----He used AND ---Like there is Progression.
First he STEALS.......Then he KILLS.......
Why not just Kill first and then STEAL?
Jesus said "before you can spoil a strong man’s house ---You have to first bind him.....(render him helpless)
So satan can’t KILL and DESTROY You -----until he has DISARMED YOU.
Nehemiah 8:10....... the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Jesus said in John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
SO the KEY to Being STRONG In the Lord ----- is Being FULL of JOY.....
The KEY to Staying FULL OF JOY is the WORD in You......
Satan wants to steal the Word from your heart because He knows that’s where it can and Will produce.
Mark 4:14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
There’s a reason he doesn’t want you to know this stuff.
There’s a reason Sunday is the hardest day of the week to get a family out the door on time.
There’s a reason you Struggle when you Begin to DO THE WORD ----
satan wants to make sure you don’t last long enough to see it work.
Verse 15 says "satan cometh IMMEDIATELY" to take that Word.
He knows It’s A SEED and it will take time ---Most of the time----for the Word to produce in your life.....
so immediately he sets out to STEAL it from you.
He knows that when the Word is in your heart IT WILL BRING FORTH A HARVEST.
We need to Place VALUE on the Word of God---- like we would something we bought at Sears and Roebuck.
I mean ---If someone came to your house and proceeded to load up your Refrigerator ----
you wouldn’t say "Well it must not be the Lord’s will for me to have that refrigerator"
"Maybe one day, .....In the sweet bye and bye I can have one......"
No you’d say "Hey, You Put That Back ----That’s Mine"
Because It’s easy for us to see the VALUE in a REFRIGERATOR
But the Word Is MORE VALUABLE TO US.
satan can’t KILL you (Seperate you from God) If you Know the Word.....
and if he can’t seperate you from God ---he can’t DESTROY you....
That’s why David said "Thy Word have I Hid in my heart, that I might not Sin against thee"
Sin is the Doorway to CALAMITY and TROUBLE in your life.....
The Moment you Hear the Word of God -----satan comes IMMEDIATELY to Steal it....
But he doesn’t Stop there.....If he can’t steal it ------Look what his next move is...
Look at Verse 17...... , when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake,.....immediately they are offended.
When you make a decision to Live by the Word of God.......
Next comes AFFLICTION and PERSECUTION -----for the Word’s Sake.....
Satan wants you to think that if you are being afflicted it’s because you’ve sinned.....
and he’ll use Bible toting, church going people to tell you that.....
But everybody carrying a Bible doesn’t know what it says.
The Truth is:
Many times We aren’t Attacked because we’ve done WRONG, but because We are doing RIGHT.
satan will ATTACK you and then try to get you to BLAME YOURSELF .....
and if that doesn’t Work -----he will try to get you to blame God.
You start Believing God to heal you and People will come out of the woodwork....
telling you stories of People MORE HOLY than you that couldn’t get healed.....
......Peole who didn’t need HALF of what you NEED that DIDN’T GET IT......
satan wants to get you over into the REALM of REASON and out of FAITH.
2 Cor 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Faith is a Product of the Word of God Sown and Producing a harvest in your Heart.
Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh,......
(KJV says "was MADE flesh" but Most agree BECAME is more accurate)
The Word BECAME.......
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him (the Word); and without him(the Word) was not any thing made that was made.
The Word of God ----Sown in your heart ----coming out of YOUR MOUTH---WILL BECOME.......
You can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might? Eph 6:10
What is the Power of His Might? -----the Holy Ghost
He is the Power or Strength of God on the earth.
Remember how that in the beginning the earth was without form and void and the Spirit of the Lord hovered over the face of the deep.....
What was He doing there? ----waiting on the Word of God to come forth.
Nothing Happened until God said "Let there be" and THERE WAS.
When the WORD came forth ----The Spirit of God went to work and Brought forth.....what was said.
Hebrews 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the
word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
The Word of God has the POTENTIAL to PRODUCE VICTORY in your life......
Psalms 119:22-24 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
24 Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors.
It doesn’t matter who it is that may be Accusing you and saying Bad things about you.....
Continue to Meditate on what God says....
Refuse to Dwell on what the Enemy says about you.....
Hold on to the Word of God.
Psalms 119:92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.
Verse 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
People get discouraged saying "I just don’t know what I’m gonna do,.......I don’t know how I’m going to make it......."
Psalms 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Psalms 119:165 Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.
Offend is from the Hebrew word mikshole and one of the words used to define it is RUIN
Nothing can RUIN those who Love the Law of the Lord......
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.Isaiah 45:22
If you are looking for Salvation in any other place---you won’t find it.
If you are looking for peace in any other god ----it’s not there.
No matter what your need ----God’s Word is the answer.
You say "But I’ve Already messed up and Failed where the Word of God is Concerned"
Micah 7:8 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.
God Sent His Word to Deliver us and to Heal our Hurts.....
If you’re hurting today -----Call on God through Jesus-----
He’ll Heal you and Help You.....And make your Life Better than you have ever Dreamed it could Be.
