Don't ignore this - Hebrews 2

….how shall we escape (just punishment) if we ignore such a great salvation? Hebrews 2:3

Great question. The writer of Hebrews is reminding the new converts of all the words, actions, wonders and prophecies that have been fulfilled in Jesus.

I still think it must be tough for a lot of them….many Jews knew Jesus before his ministry and before it was revealed that he was the Messiah. They all knew him as Joseph and Mary’s kid, the carpenters son.

I am reminded of another scripture where Jesus recognizes that it is very tough to minister to your own people; Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
This is so true.

Many of you feel this tensions if you grew up around here. As you are exploring faith….for maybe the first time, people are constantly checking you out, seeing if you creed matches your deed. Even Jesus felt this and recognizes it. But what makes you different today with salvation….oppose to two years ago….when either you were not yet saved, or maybe you just lived like you weren’t?

A good question to maybe ask yourself is this….up until now….or up until I started to come back to church….have I ignored salvation? Do I still ignore salvation? Do I know Christ personally? Have I accepted his gift of salvation?

You know, a gift isn’t your just because you know about it. You must take it. It’s free, but it’s not yours until you receive it.

Maybe you enjoy all the aspects of Christianity, yet in your heart….Christ isn’t Lord. Maybe you are waiting for the Holy Spirit to do something inside you….your life, your marriage, your family, yet you don’t have the Holy Spirit. (could be a long wait)

Jenny, my wife, wasn’t saved until she was 30 years old. She was raised in church, walked the aisle when she was 8….but never surrendered herself to the Lordship of Christ. As an adult, she recognized that while others in church talked about faith, the Holy Spirit and God’s word….in her heart….she knew that although she believed all these things, she had never given herself to Jesus.

She could no longer ‘ignore such a great salvation’.

I think Satan uses pride to keep us form Salvation. At my last church there, was a guy I was in a men’s bible study with, he was a deacon, he was the pianist, he was the church treasurer, and he had traveled as part of “cruisade” back in the early 80’s….and one day he admitted to us that he hadn’t trusted Christ for salvation. So this church leader in his mid to late 40's, received the gift of salvation. For him, it was too great to pretend he was saved anymore, his pride had stood in the way long enough.

Guys, you are all friends….and I know that among friends we won’t talk like this….but this is too important. If you have ignored ‘such a great salvation’ and want to receive it….let's go grab some lunch and talk. How shall we escape (just punishment) if we ignore such a great salvation?