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?

Psalm 39 - Life is Fleeting

Psalm 39 – Life is Fleeting
Life has this way of reminding us what the Psalmist is saying in this Psalm…..’Each man's life is but a breath.’
A few weeks ago we had a young man Glen, who was being cared for by one of our Restore Communities. Glen was introduced to them, by an organization that cares for those who have advanced stages of AIDS and cancer. One of the last things that Glen was able to do in public….was to attend one of our ANC services. I believe that Brandon was preaching that day….and Brandon had no clue Glen was there. At ANC we rarely do an ‘invitation’ but this day….there was a presentation of the gospel and Glen trusted Christ with his life.
Glen passed away last week.
My dad, 6 years ago….played golf on a Saturday morning, was settling in to watch the Alabama vs. Arkansas game, and had chest pains. He got my mom to take him to the hospital. As he walked into the ER and sat down, he was telling the nurse his Social Security number……and died.
A dear sweet couple from my last church, she suffered from Rheumatory Arthritis and he has just been diagnosed with cancer….. were driving to Houston to visit family. On the road between Corpus and Refugio, I have driven 1000 times, a truck blew a tire, swerved into their lane, hit them head on and killed them both instantly.
David, asks for what he already know….”let me know how fleeting is my life.”
James puts it this way ‘You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.’
We all have someone that we know, who has died…..some closer than others. But isn’t it amazing that people continue to live life as if death will never come, that somehow death will escape them.
I praise God for those I have mentioned who knew Christ…and have stepped from this life to eternity with their Creator. All their testimonies are completely different, but they all….at some point recognized God as the Author of Life, and the source of Salvation.