As I watched them, I thought how wonderful! them. He sold them to their enemies all around, Barnsley Baptist Church Here I have a perfect introduction to this third whom they were no longer able to resist. in our series in Hebrews, which begins with a Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of warning about the danger of drifting away, the Lord was against them to defeat them, just drifting from the mooring that is essential in the as he had sworn to them. They were in great whole matter of salvation. distress.’ (Judges 2.vv 10 -15.). This is what happened in the past. Ignorance of the law was The Writer is urging careful attention to all that no excuse. It wasn’t them and it isn’t now! has been said, all that has been revealed in the gospel. He points back to the fact that the Old The Writer then proceeds very logically. If the Testament gift of the law was a message that minor premise is true, then the greater premise was meant to be observed. The Law, as is likely to be even more true. If there is no

scripture reminds us was given by Moses, but escape from judgment for dis-obeying the law, Sunday 15 th September 2019 the popular belief, underscored by Steven in his there is certainly no escape for ignoring the Theme: Hebrews 3 defense of the gospel, and by Paul in his letter to grace and truth that is in the gospel, the great Preacher: Rev. Ken Jefferson the Galatians, was that angels were involved in salvation, the good news mediated not by some way in mediating the message, a message angels, but by the Lord Himself, a message Introduction. fixed and firm, meant to be believed and confirmed by those who heard him. And to their I can see them clearly in my mind’s eye. For obeyed. Disobedience always invited judgment, witness should be added the witness of God some few hours they had been bold and brave God’s just judgment Himself, who undergirded the message with as they sat aboard the Lady Wyre boat, as she signs and wonders, with wonders and miracles, sailed down the river Don to Doncaster, then Just listen to this, written in the book of Judges, as the Holy Spirit gave gifts to men. turned up toward Mexborough, and back to the and highlighting the folly and failure of the starting point at Sprotborough. They looked people, following the death of Joshua. The question that arises from this is an for all the world like a calm and ordered ship’s important one. What does it mean to neglect company. ‘After that whole generation had been gathered the gospel? How do we do such a thing? The to their fathers, another generation grew up, answer lies in the word that is used here. In the But then, as the return docking point was who knew neither the Lord nor what he had Greek it means becoming careless. reached, the boat’s engine was cut and the pilot done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the took the mooring rope in his hand to loop it over eyes of the Lord and served the Baals, they There are simple illustrations of this. Neglect to the capstan. There was just a trace of anxiety forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who power up your phone and in the moment you upon their faces for a second or two, as the first brought them out of Egypt. They followed and need it there is no service. Neglect to fill in a tax throw failed, and in a fleeting way they worshipped various gods of the people’s around return and you will incur a fine. Neglect to look wondered if by any chance they would at the them. They provoked the Lord to anger because after your property and you will end up running last be left to drift rather than sail down the they forsook Him and served Baal and the into bills that will become huge. Neglect small Don! Ashtoreths. In his anger against Israel the Lord terms of endearment and a relationship will be handed them over to raiders who plundered poorer than it could be. On a major level neglect has serious and Neglect is carelessness and indifference and let gospel to each area of our lives, recognising that negative consequences doesn’t it? One of the it just be said that this is a charge that the writer we are accountable, always accountable to the biggest causes of concern in our society today is is going to lay at the door of some believers to Lord. child neglect. It is the failure to provide for the whom he is writing. The church was at risk, as basic needs, be they physical, emotional, the church is always at risk because some are We neglect our salvation when we forget the educational or social needs, among others. Child neglecting- becoming careless or indifferent in basic life sustaining disciples. When we forget neglect constitutes abuse, and is a criminal the matter of attending, or assembling together. to eat- which for us is tasting the living bread offence. At the other end of the scale the neglect which is always fresh, when we forget to drink, of the elderly, treating them as a burden and ********************** for us the living water, which is in constant denying them access to basic essential support It is with this vital area of response to the supply; when we forget to rest, which for us is has become endemic in our society. Sometimes gospel that the writer is concerned, and so we resting in the Lord. Neglecting our salvation is when someone is found in very distressing have to ask how is it possible to neglect not something that happens dramatically, it circumstances we say, he or she has been something as great as the gospel as brought to happens incrementally. When we forget to neglecting themselves, when in fact the us by Jesus? How is it possible to be careless or pray, when we lose our appetite for worship, individual in question may have become indifferent to the good news that the gospel is? when we separate ourselves from other physically or emotionally incapable of doing believers- it all contributes to that drifting away much about their situation. We neglect our salvation when we fail to stay in of which we spoke earlier. daily contact with our Saviour. When a Neglect is a luxury that some people cannot relationship that should be the heartbeat of all ********************* afford and dare not entertain. Do you that we are and all we hope to be is allowed to But now having issued this warning the Writer remember the famous comment made of the cool and become cold when something that returns to what we heard earlier about Jesus. He great Polish pianist who became Prime Minister should be dynamic becomes distant, our had been telling us that Jesus is superior to of his country. He said about his life as a pianist. salvation becomes something loveless and angels. Do you remember what we shared last “If I do not practice for a day. I know it. If I do lifeless. Relationships don’t just happen they time? We saw and we said Jesus is superior to not practice for a week, my friends know it. If I have to be worked at, nurtured, developed and angels because He has a better title and a better do not practice for a month, the world knows it.’ protected, and our relationship with Christ is name. The angels are referred to as sons of God Neglect of his gift and skill was not an option. like this. It is always maintained for His part. but only Jesus is called the Son of God. He is We are held in a love that will not let us go, but superior to angels because though they are Neglect is not just carelessness. It is also for our part we have to make sure that we heavenly beings they are not worthy of indifference. Some of the residents of the renew our love for Him, that we affirm our worship. It is only at the name of Jesus that Barque Green area are getting involved in dependence on Him, that we are committed to every knee should bow as they will bow. And protest about the proposal to have 1300 new putting Him first not just in somethings but in Jesus is superior to angels because no matter homes built on land around their homes, but all things. what else may change, fail or fall, Jesus will while a some are actively opposing the idea the We neglect our salvation when we forget that remain unchanged and unchanging. Heaven and majority are saying nothing, as the organizers of the business of our lives a s Christians is the earth may pass away, rolled up like a garment, the objections are discovering, business of working out our own salvation in but Jesus remains for ever. fear and trembling, learning how to apply the I remember her well. She her husband and concerned it will not be ruled by angels it will of our loss, and our world seems to be a world daughter lived in a small tenement block at the be subject to Christ. It is tempting to think that out of control, subject to no ultimate authority. edge of town, and as a boy I was always he is referring to the far future when this world welcome there. They used to save books for me, will be replaced by a new heaven and a new But into this situation the Lord came, He came, glossy comic books that I wish I had kept until earth, when the promise of a city whose maker and by His suffering and death, He redeemed us this day.I could have entered into serious trade and builder is God, will be fully realised, but for our enslavement to sin. He rescued us from with them. She attended our services faithfully what we need to know is that the powers of that our helplessness and hopelessness. He for years in the fellowship of the Salvation Army age are already worth us here and now. Jesus by reconciled us by bridging our estrangement Corp. She always sat on the same seat, and I His coming, His living, His dying and by His from God. He rescued us,, Saviour that He is. We always see her in my mind’s eye wearing the Rising from the dead, has released the power of see Him, who was made for a little while lower same grey coat and dark hat. There was often the future into the realm of the present. It is than the angels, namely Jesus because of the calls for testimonies during services and time going to be gloriously fulfilled in the future, but suffering of death, crowned with glory and and time again I have seen Mrs Young rise to her even now we know its presence and its honour so that by the grace of God he might feet starting to sing, the same chorus- it never possibility And all of this we owe to the One taste death for every one. varied, she sang, “A never failing Friend, A never who first humbled Himself and was made for a Failing Friend, Is Christ to me, so rich and free, time a little lower than the angels. There is a comment that comes from the fourth his favours never end. .A Never failing friend, a century from John Chrysostom and he says never failing gibe up your sin and you shall win The Writer is well aware of the dignity that God this,- ‘As the physician, though not needing to a never failing Friend.’ Well Mrs Young didn’t conferred upon man, upon us. He refers back taste the food prepared for the sick man, yet in have much by way of encouragement on her to the Psalms and to the psalm that especially his care for him tastes first himself, that he may journey. Her husband never attended church, speaks of the God glory and honour God has set persuade the sick man with confidence to her daughter was often sickly and life was upon us, setting us at the very pinnacle of venture on food; so since all men were afraid of pretty basic, but Mrs Young had securely been creation, and giving us a role as stewards of all death, in persuading them to take courage grasped by the Gospel, the gospel of Christ who He has made, a position of dominion, but not against death, He tasted it also Himself, through remains for ever! The same gospel that should domination. he had no need to do so. grasp us. And yet for all of this What is man? Are we the Last week Brenda and I had visitors who had an ******************* people of dignity and destiny we were meant to overnight stay with us. We had not seen each Having said all that he has done there remains be? Or does the truth point to something else? other for many years. We soon learned that the one area in which the Writer still wants to The word of God suggests that it does. . It states husband of the couple who came had endured demonstrate the superiority of Jesus in one very clearly that we have fallen from those an in a measure is enduring a very rare form of specific area. What is this area? It is the area of great heights for which we were made. We have cancer. Mercifully the treatment is helping a lot. His humanity and the authority that is bound up forfeited our position. Instead of being kings we But as he shared what has been a very with it. have become slaves. Instead of living in debilitating experience, he said that minister of absolute freedom we have become bound. We the gospel though he had been and is, and First of all the writer has something to say have lost the authority that was ours and the although he had ministered to many many about the age to come. He says as far as it is world around us at every level bears the scars people in their illness, he now believed that it is not possible to understand what the condition And now again this morning we come together does until one goes through it for oneself, to remember this fact. We come to Him, because Nothing but going through the experience really He first came to us. We come to embrace all that qualifies anyone to speak of it. he was made for us, to express our wonder that He by His grace has made of us. We come to Jesus went through the experience of death. We taste life because He tasted death. We come read that Jesus tasted death. We must not think because He made our condition His condition this is anything like a tasting experience we and all for love of us. We come and as we might have if we went to a food stalls a taste to consider Him, we come in the urgency of our see whether we like a flavour or not. His tasting confession which says that in all things Jesus was a long, hard and complete engagement, a and only Jesus is sufficient for us. dark, deep and determined fight against all its powers in all its forms so that we, might live. There was no other good enough To Pay the price of sin Though we must die in physical terms we will He only could unlock the gate through Him rise to Life eternal. Of heaven and let us in.

****************** O dearly dearly has He loved And because of this action, because of His And we must love Him too voluntary descent into this world to suffer and And trust in His redeeming blood die for our sins, because of work that was a And try His works to do. revelation of the grace of God, the grace that enabled He who I was rich to become poor for our sake, doing a work that has been thoroughly done, God has crowned Him with glory and honour. First the Cross and then the Crown. First the humiliation then the honour. First the standing up for sinners then then the sitting down at the right hand of the. Majesty of God in heaven.

Lifted up was He to die. “It is finished!” Was His cry. Now in heaven exalted high. Hallelujah! What a Saviour.