Shiloh Bible Church
Hebrews 2:1-4
Pay Attention
Introduction
Dr. Bruce Wilkinson was the Founder and President of Walk Thru the Bible Ministries. When he was a student at Dallas Theological Seminary, Dr. Howard Hendricks was his favorite professor. Dr. Hendricks had an unquenchable desire to motivate his students to learn. He couldn’t stand it if his students weren’t paying attention to his teaching.
Well, during his senior year at seminary, Wilkinson decided to run a little test on Professor Hendricks. So one day, Wilkinson came into the classroom, sat in the back row, and just looked out the window into the parking lot. Wilkinson wanted to see how long Hendricks could cope with a student who wasn’t paying attention.
Now, Dr. Hendricks had a routine in starting every class. He sat behind his desk, and you could watch his leg start bouncing at about three minutes until the class started, as if he were getting wound up and ready to go. At the stroke of the hour, he would open his mouth and start teaching. And he was off like a shot—and he would have the whole class with him, hanging on his words. He would sit there for about eight minutes teaching. At that point he’d get up from his desk, go to the board, and draw a great chart. Then he’d tell a pertinent joke and go on with his outline.
But on this day, Wilkinson just looked out the window and didn’t pay attention to a word Hendricks said. So, Hendricks was out from behind his desk in less than a minute, and drew a terrific chart on the board. Wilkinson said it was all he could do not to grab a piece of paper and start copying down that great teaching tool. But he kept on staring out the window. So Hendricks started telling jokes—lots of jokes—funny jokes. But Wilkinson just bit his tongue to keep from laughing and kept staring out the window. Next, Hendricks moved to the corner of the room, directly in Wilkinson’s path, gesturing wildly while he spoke. But Wilkinson didn’t pay him any attention. He kept staring out the window. At the 3-minute and 37-second mark, Hendricks couldn’t stand it any longer. He started running down the aisle of the classroom toward Wilkinson. Hendricks screamed, “Wilkinson! What on earth are you looking at?” Wilkinson apologized to Professor Hendricks and started to pay attention to his teaching. It wasn’t until years later that Wilkinson told Dr. Hendricks about his little experiment.
Hendricks wanted his students to pay attention so that they would learn and grow and develop. He wanted people to pay attention. And that’s what the writer of Hebrews wants his readers to do—to pay attention! And he tells us so in Hebrews chapter 2.
In Hebrews chapter 2, we find the first of five encouragement passages in the book. The second encouragement passage is found in chapters 3 and 4, the third in chapters 5 and 6, the fourth in chapter 10, and the final one in chapter 12. Each encouragement passage is designed to motivate believers to move forward in their growth in Christ.
Hebrews 2:1-4 is the first encouragement passage. The writer begins with these words, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard.”
Now, you’ve heard Bible teachers say that when you read the word “therefore” you need to stop and find out what it is “there for.” The word therefore is pointing back to what was previously said. The author is drawing a conclusion. In 1:1-3, the writer demonstrated that Jesus is greater than the Old Testament prophets. Jesus is greater because He is the Heir of all things, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. He is the Revealer of God, the Redeemer of mankind, and High Priest. Jesus is greater than the prophets! Last week in 1:4-14, we saw that Jesus is greater than the angels. He is greater in His position—where He is, in His person—who He is, and in His power—what He does. Jesus is greater than the angels. Since Jesus is greater than the Old Testament prophets and greater than the magnificent angelic spirits, then we need to listen carefully to what He has said. That’s why the writer of Hebrews tells us: “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard”—that is, to what Jesus has said.
Why do you need to do this? What will happen if you neglect what Jesus says? And the answer is: It will cause a downward spiral in your Christian life. And it all starts with neglect …
1. NEGLECT LEADS TO DRIFTING
Look at verse 1 again: “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
The picture that the writer of Hebrews paints is interesting. He views a believer as a boat. A boat can be moored securely and safely to the dock. But if you untie the rope and let it go, the boat will drift away slowly down stream with the current. And that’s what happens when you stop paying attention to Jesus Christ. You begin to slowly—almost unnoticeably—drift away from Him.
William Barclay wrote: “For most of us the threat of life is not so much that we should plunge into disaster, but that we should drift into sin. There are few people who deliberately and in a moment turn their backs on God; there are many who day by day drift farther and farther away from him. There are not many who in one moment of time commit some disastrous sin; there are many who almost imperceptibly involve themselves in some situation and suddenly awake to find that they have ruined life for themselves and broken someone else’s heart. We must continually be on the alert against the peril of the drifting life.”
Neglect leads to drifting. But the downward spiral doesn’t stop there because …
2. DRIFTING LEADS TO DISOBEDIENCE
The American Cancer Society has saved countless lives by educating the public about the “7 Warning Signs of Cancer.” And those 7 signs are:
· Unusual bleeding or discharge
· Lump or thickness in breast or elsewhere
· Sore that does not heal
· Change in bowel or bladder habits
· Persistent hoarseness or cough
· Difficulty in swallowing
· Obvious change in a mole
There are warning signs of cancer. Likewise, there are warning signs of spiritual drifting. And these signs alert you to the fact that you are drifting. What are some of these signs? One is an …
· Unwillingness to Come Clean with Sin
Turn ahead a page to chapter 3. And look at verses 12 and 13: “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Sin is deceitful. And unless you deal with sin deliberately and swiftly, it will cause you to drift in your spiritual life.
Radio commentator Paul Harvey tells how Eskimos kill wolves in the artic. First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it to freeze. He then adds layer after layer of blood until the blade is completely concealed by the frozen blood—like a Popsicle! Next, the hunter fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up. When a wolf follows his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait, he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood. He begins to lick faster, more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is bare. Feverishly now, harder and harder, the wolf licks the blade in the cold Arctic night. His craving for blood becomes so great that the wolf does not notice the razor-sharp sting of the naked blade on his own tongue. Nor does he recognize the instant when his insatiable thirst is being satisfied by his own warm blood. His carnivorous appetite continues to crave more until in the morning light, the wolf is found dead on the snow!
And that’s how sin operates in our life. It is deceitful. It seems so safe—so innocent—so good. But in reality, it is deadly. That’s why it’s so important to deal quickly and radically with sin in our lives. But when you commit sin and you are unwilling to confess it and unwilling to forsake it, then mark it down—you are drifting.
The writer of Hebrews gives us another warning sign of spiritual drifting. And it is a …
· Loss of Appetite for the Word
Turn ahead a few pages to chapter 5. In verse 11 we read: “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
These believers had lost their appetite for the Word. Instead of eating the solid meat of the Word, they were still sucking on spiritual baby food. Instead of growing in their understanding of deeper spiritual truth, they needed to relearn the basic ABC’s of the Christian life. These believers were not moving forward in their understanding of the Word of God. They were drifting backwards.
And so let me ask you: “Do you have a thirst for the Word of God? Do you have a hunger to grow deeper in the things of Christ?” If not, you are drifting. You say, “What can I do about it?” Well, to begin with, you can start having a daily devotional time with the Lord—a time you set aside every day to read the Word and pray. And if you don’t know where to start, let me encourage you to use a devotional guide. We have copies of Our Daily Bread and The Quiet Hour available for you in the foyers. Pick one up as you leave today.
There is a third warning sign of spiritual drifting. And it is …
· Failure to Gather with Believers
Turn ahead to chapter 10. And look at verse 25 with me: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
One of the sure signs that you’re drifting is when you stop gathering together with believers for worship. The Lord uses corporate worship to encourage us and strengthen us in our Christian walk. That’s why it is so good to see you at Shiloh this morning. I’m so glad that you’re here! But do you make gathering with believers a part of your weekly routine? Or do you come here on those Sundays that are convenient for you or you have nothing else on the calendar? Do you make gathering with believers a priority in your Christian life? I know that most of you do—and that’s great! But if you don’t, you’re starting to drift. Make a commitment to gather weekly with your brothers and sisters in Christ to worship the Lord.
Well, those are a few warning signs that the writer of Hebrews gives us concerning spiritual drifting. Now let’s turn back to chapter 2. We said that neglect leads to drifting. And drifting leads to disobedience. The next step down the spiral is …
3. DISOBEDIENCE LEADS TO PUNISHMENT
Notice what the writer says in verse 2: “For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?”
Here the writer uses an argument from lesser to greater. Moses received the Old Testament Law on Mount Sinai. And God used angels to help communicate that Law to Moses. We read of this in such verses as Deuteronomy 33:2, Acts 7:38 and 53, and Galatians 3:19. Now, when the Old Testament Law was violated, there were strict consequences. For example, in Leviticus 24, we read about a man who was put to death for blasphemy. In Numbers 15, we read about a man who was put to death for working on the Sabbath.
Now, if a person was punished for disobeying a Law delivered by angels, what makes you think that a person won’t be punished for disobeying a Law given by Jesus—who is greater than the angels!
Verse 3 continues: “This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”
God’s Word was preached by Jesus and the apostles. And their message was authenticated by the miraculous works that they performed—healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead.
Billie Burke was a famous actress. She is best known for her role in the movie The Wizard of Oz. She played the role of Glinda—the Good Witch of the North. One day she was on a transatlantic ocean trip when she noticed that a gentleman at a table next to her was suffering from a bad head cold. “Are you uncomfortable?” she asked. The man nodded. She said, “I’ll tell you just what to do about it. Go back to your stateroom and drink lots of orange juice. Take two aspirins. Cover yourself with all the blankets you can find. Sweat the cold out. I know just what I’m talking about. I’m Billie Burke from Hollywood.” The man just smiled politely and said, “Thank you. And let me introduce myself to you. I’m Dr. Mayo from the Mayo Clinic.”
Now, who do you think is a greater authority on treating colds—an actress or a medical doctor? And who do you think is a greater authority on spiritual matters—angels or Jesus?
Conclusion
And that’s why the writer of Hebrews says that you must pay more careful attention to Christ’s Word. Because if you don’t, it will spell disaster in your Christian life. Neglect leads to drifting. Drifting leads to disobedience. And disobedience leads to punishment.
You say, “Well, what kind of punishment are we talking about here? In what way will God discipline me?” That’s an excellent question. And we’ll answer that question next Sunday morning as we continue on in our study of Hebrews.
Let’s pray.
Before I pray, let me ask you a question. Are you drifting in your spiritual life? Or are you tied securely in fellowship with Christ? Perhaps you do deal with sin in your life by quickly confessing it to God. And perhaps you are reading the Word and growing in your relationship to the Lord. And perhaps you have established the spiritual discipline of worshipping with believers on a weekly basis. If this is true of you, then I want to commend you. Keep up the good work!
Spend a moment taking stock of your spiritual life, and then I will pray.
