Hebrews 2:1-3 1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. 2 For if the word spoken by angels was steadfa
as brought into the holy of holies, the divine throne-room, by the high priest as the representative of the people
Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Mark 15:37-38 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The curtain stopped anyone from entering into the Holy of Holies
Today as we focus on the Suffering and death of, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 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;
V. 3 how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
In the New Testament there are 3 questions that are unanswered:
Mark 8:36-37 For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
1 Peter 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin with at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Hebrews 2:3 - How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?
1) Our Salvation is so great Why is the bible saying that our Salvation is so great ?
a) Because Salvation comes from God
Jesus brought us Salvation. It is not a man made thing God is the author of our Salvation. That is why it can never fail
Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." 1Thess. 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
God has not planned or purposed for anyone to suffer the wrath of His judgment BUT they will if they REJECT or NEGLECT His SALVATION which comes ONLY through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
b) It has the greatest Love
John 3:16-18 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
Think about how much suffering and pain Jesus endured even before He was crucified to death ALL because He loved He was willing to give up everything in Heaven, Come down to earth , reveal to mankind the heart and love of God,
We never take time to understand the Love of God for us We think we deserve God's love and salvation We take for granted the Love and Salvation of God That is why we choose to live the way we want and not the way God wants us to live
Illustr: A little girl was rescued from a burning house by her mother. And in the process of saving her little girl , the flames came so close that her hands and arms that shielded the baby from the deadly fire were permanently scarred in the process.
As the girl grew older, she became conscious of the fact that her mother's hands and arms didn't look like those of other women. She thought they were ugly. She was so ashamed of her mother's appearance that she didn't want to be seen with her in public.
One day the mother told her daughter about the fire and how in the process of rescuing her from death, she got burnt. When the daughter realized that her own life had been spared because her mother sacrificed the beauty of her hands and arms, she said, "Mother you have the most beautiful hands in the world."
Her perspective changed when she understood the effect of the sacrifice. She no longer took her Mother for granted BUT treasured and valued her a lot knowing that if it wasn't for her Mother to save her, she would not be alive today
c) It paid the greatest Price
Salvation cost God the Death of His Son Jesus Christ
Jesus paid the greatest price to bring this salvation to mankind. It cost Jesus the humiliation and death on the cross.,.
1 Pet 1:18-19 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
d) It has the greatest Scope
That who ever believes John.3:16 This salvation can save people of all walks of lives And it can save people from All Sins no matter how bad the sin may be..
It reaches out to every person regardless of their color, position, status,
The adulterer, murderer, blasphemer, thieves, can all come and be saved in the same way.
John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
e) It has the greatest Result
No matter what a person does, He can never receive forgiveness of his sins except through the blood of Jesus when we believe in Him..
Eternal life , Abundant life all come through Salvation
Salvation is so great because of the benefits included with it. Forgiveness. Cleansing. Joy. Peace. Grace. Heaven for a home.
Rev 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands
There is nothing we need to add to make salvation complete
Jesus finished everything for us on the cross when He paid the price for our Salvation
Salvation gives you an eternity spent with God and not just an extended life here on earth
Hebrews 5:9 and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
2) Do not Neglect your Salvation
V.3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great Salvation ?
Neglect does not mean Rejecting Christ It means not giving careful attention to your relationship with Christ
You will not escape the judgment of God if you neglect your salvation. Take your salvation very SERIOUSLY. It is your LIFE and not just a means to your LIFE
Reject is a direct approach of saying NO while neglect is an indirect approach of saying NO. Both suffer the same end results
Neglect is a gradual loss of Fullness slowly leaking from your bucket
There are many things in life which we tend to neglect But the only thing that we cannot afford to neglect is our SALVATION which we have received from GOD
Yet how many times we neglect this great gift of Salvation that God has given to us
Neglect Is a serious problem we all face in life We neglect so many things and have to suffer the consequences
To destroy a marriage you don't have to go out and commit adultery, just neglect your marriage partner. Some else will pay attention to them and then you're in trouble.
You don't have to backslide to loose your salvation. Just neglect it. Stop reading your Bible. Stop praying. Stop paying your tithes. Stop attending God's house.
Illustr: When the titanic was under construction the design team had a 5 hour planning meeting. In which 4 hours 50 minutes were spent discussing the interior decorations and 10 minutes was given over to life boat provision. Look what happened to the titanic - it sank
Because they neglected the important issues and spent excessive time on the un-important matters
It will happen to us in the spiritual realm Our life will sink - if you neglect the matters of importance and spend much time on worldly things
Prov 4:20-23 20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Signs of Neglecting our Salvation
1) Loss of Focus
When came to Christ “ we all focussed on Him but gradually our focus got diverted to other things heart can change from the things of God to the things of this world.
It is so easy to drift away from the mainstream when we are not focused. We must always keep our focus on God
How ? By meeting daily, praying daily, reading the bible daily, fellowshipping daily
Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:46-47 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
I King 11:1-10 1 King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's daughter-- Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2 They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done. 7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. 9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10 Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD's command.
King Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived started so well in his early days with God yet because he neglected his devotion to God
Imagine, God blessed Solomon with everything Even though he started by asking God to give him ONLY WISDOM God gave him honor, wealth, power And he still neglected God
1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
There are so many Distractions today that can easily take us off-course..
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What is it that you Treasure MOST in your life ?? Your job, business, profession, possession, position, career ??
Many start by focusing on the Lord but after some time they get distracted and their focus is on earthly / worldly things. Some even abandon their Faith because of the things of this world.
DO NOT ALLOW YOUR FOCUS TO GET DISTRACTED OR DIVERTED STAY FOCUSED. STAY ON TRACK
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
When your eyes are on the Master, you will overcome every temptation
2. Loss of Priorities
Where do your priorities lie? Are you #1 in your life? Are you more concerned about yourself than God and others ?
Matt 22:37-38 37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
In a world of self-serving and self-centeredness, the Lord calls us to have a different priority.
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
3. Loss of Passion
You no longer have a passionate love for God or His Word David had his problems but had a passionate love for God, and His Word
Psalms 119:9-16 9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. 12 Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. 13 With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. 15 I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. 16 I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.
Do you remember when you were in love with God? • You couldn't put the Bible down? Now even finding the bible is so difficult because you barely use it during the weekdays ?
Rev 3:15-16 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm-- neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
4. Loss of Discipline
You get lazy and allow more compromise in your life leads to sin Unwillingness to get total rid of Sin in our lives
Ephesians 5:5-7 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-- such a man is an idolater-- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
Listen if someone is telling you that it's OK to compromise in the area of immorality, impurity, of greedy self pleasing and still feel secure in your eternal destiny – you're being deceived with empty words! • It takes discipline to not allow compromise in these areas!
Lack of discipline in these areas is a major warning light!
2 Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
If you don't discipline yourself God will .
1 Cor 9:26-27 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
5. Loss of Commitment
Usually the first to go is church attendance If church attendance is a negotiable for you all manner of things will crowd in and push it out. work, leisure, laziness When that happens only a matter of time completely backslidden.
Hebrews 10:25 25 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.
Luke 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.
Jesus regularly went to church on the Sabbath day He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. If going to church with everyone else was modeled by Jesus That needs to be a non-negotiable for you and me as well!
How many Sabbaths have you missed and yet call yourself a believer of Jesus
Luke 6:46 "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?
Jesus is your Lord and Savior when you Do and Obey what He says
6) Loss of Giving to God
One sign of a believer who is backsliding is when they stop giving to God This is a sign of their Spiritual decline which is the beginning of their Physical decline.
When you stop paying your tithes, you start stealing from God. And that means your heart no longer fears the Lord neither Love the Lord
Your are deceived to think you can rob God and get away with it.
Galatians 6:7-8 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
God says in Malachi
Malachi 3:8-10 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. If you have been robbing God, Today you need not only to repent but to make restitution of whatever you have stolen from God.
7. Loss of Sensitivity to God
You are No longer sensitive to God's word
Hebrews 3:7-8 7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: "Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,
When you lose sensitivity to God and His word, coming to church is boring. Its a sign of neglecting your salvation.
Some are more sensitive to your TV programs and Series Your whole mind and Heart is on it. You don't miss a part. You are committed to time
But when it comes to God and His word; you yawn, look at your watch you glaze around and you laze around
This world has a natural way of hardening the heart, it takes special care to keep your heart and spirit in tune with God. It got so bad for Israel, that even though they were seeing the miracles of God, they still were hard toward God.
You no longer respond to the voice of the Spirit When the clear teaching of God's word points out areas in your life that need to change and you resist Pride in your life says everything is fine with me Praise the Lord Pastor
The Bible says that Pride goes before the Fall, and a haughty spirit before destruction
When your heart is no longer willing to respond to the warning signs of the Holy Spirit then you're drifting - and in danger of a ship wrecked life. Because when we do not respond to the Lord's calling to us we say that we are fine without Him and we're not!
8. Loss of Burden For Souls
Matt 9:35-36 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Compassion for the lost is one of the most important parts of the Christian faith. A deep concern about where people will spend eternity. The church must always guard against becoming self centered and losing it's focus and purpose which is reaching the lost for Christ.
Have you been neglecting your Salvation ? Is there any of these signs that you can say Yes to
God is not willing that anyone to perish, and that is why His word has come to awaken us from our spiritual sleep
Today, Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and re-dedicate your life to God. Pray that God will restore you back once again You may have drifted far away from the Lord in your personal relationship with God ,even though you are attending church every Sunday
Neglect is a slow but sure sign of taking a believer away from God Do not let this to happen to you. Be alert. Be watchful. Fix your eyes on Jesus All the time.
May the Lord Bless You.
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