Hebrews chapter 2 this morning, verses 1 and 2. Well, we read 3 also. What we read though, would you bow as we join our hearts together to approach the throne of grace? Our Father, we know that the mercy seat above has been purchased by blood. Be sinless, blood of the blessed Lamb of God. As we journey, we are learning Him. is becoming greater in our minds, but also our hearts. For if we have not Him, we have not security, we have not eternal life, and you will not receive us. But if we do have him, as revealed and made known in our hearts by thy spirit, his blood has covered. I work on Calvary, the great intercessory prayer. It's for all your children. And I ask that you might continue to draw them, making thyself known more and more, and their hearts continue to expand in the love of God, as seen and as known in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now, Father, I pray that you might give a good utterance, give wisdom from above, and that you would help these, every person here. I pray you might help them and draw them and let them leave with a more of a worshiping heart, thankfulness, and love to him. Be magnified, Lord Jesus, by Father, you've given us the Holy Spirit. In Christ's name we pray, amen. Hebrews chapter two, verse three verses. 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. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward, how Shall we escape if we neglect? And I hope that this will come out, be expressed in language to you. 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. So there's been a long line of succession. Those that heard the Lord in person declared that to others and it has down through the ages The word of God has remained just that, very pure. And very powerful. But the things that you have heard, go back a month, six months, a year, Five years, some of you. Some of you go back a year or two. And some of you, 20. What have you heard? Now it's not possible for us to retain all that we hear. But if you've heard it and you hear it again, you know. that was special to me, and the Lord made it that way. Earnest heed to that that you hear, lest at any time you should let them slip. The word slip insinuates run out of a leaking vessel. You do not have running water in your home and when you were a youngster, your father sent you to the well. And you go and you fill up the bucket and you get back home and you do not have any water. It's leaked out. You didn't catch it. Now how much has leaked out. You heard it. It was good. It registered within your heart, but it's gone. You thought you had it. You can't get it back to mind or heart. You tried. What took it away? your pail was leaking. And the Word of God is that that provides eternal hope, eternal life, and without the Word of God, you cannot escape. We ought to give the more earnest, that is more abundant, a greater degree, a frequent hearing. We ought to give that to things which we've heard. There are some things in life that far exceed the general duties that you have to maintain your physical life and that of your family. And then there are some things that can get you in trouble. If you're not careful in heeding the instructions. This is only an illustration. And I don't think Tim and them use a liquid fertilizer for anything. They may have gone into that. But let's just say that he's got a couple of trucks out there that he uses to spray liquid fertilizer. And he's got another one that he sprays Roundup. And he sends a driver out one morning and says, take truck number two. And go down there and spread this liquid ammonia on that fellow's 40 acres of vegetables. Well, the driver's had a fight with his wife and comes in. He's not really paying attention. And he gets in the wrong truck and he goes down there and he sprays Roundup and he kills all those vegetables that that man was counting on for income. Because he did not give heed. Because he did not give a more earnest heed. He's destroyed something that was valuable. But you girls, and I know you're thinking you're a lady, and to me you'll always be girls. I've known you growing up, taught you. So, you girls in the medical field, and we'll say it's all dealing with patients. You have to be careful. There was another doctor, and I've tried to remember his name, that came to Wediwe to help out Dr. Israel. He might have been in Roanoke and come only here certain days of the week. But I was a youngster. Oh, I could drive myself. And I went out there to the emergency room that he was working that weekend. And he examined, and said, the nurse will be back in in a minute to give you this shot in here and a prescription. And I want you to follow that to get this cleared up. The nurse came in, she gave me the shot, she handed me a prescription. And before she got out the door, good, Everett, Dr. Everett, that was his name, wasn't it? He came back in. He said, I want you to sit there for a few minutes. I'll be back to tell you when you can go. I'm going to be very honest with you. The nurse gave you the shot that was intended for the other one in the next room. And he watched me and kept me there long enough to see that it was not going to affect me. But what if? And that goes with you. What if? Well, what I am going to try to tell you today is of greater consequences than if I had received a fatal shot. What is before you has eternal consequences. You don't just die. You're like Adam when he ate the fruit. In the day that thou eatest, thou shalt die. And the Hebrew is, in dying, you shall die. Every day. Eternal consequences on The topic here, soul, grace, salvation. Here, do all you can to hear, or this has eternal consequences. This is not just destroying a man's livelihood, not paying attention to the overseer. Now being careful of what the doctor said. This is greater than even losing your physical life. This has to do with your eternal life. Take heed how. Mark four, Jesus said, how you hear. Luke eight, take heed what you hear. For upon that hinges eternal life. If the Spirit of God takes the gospel and applies it to your heart. But he first must give you hearing ears. Far more woeful than being cast into prison for a lifetime. This, if neglected, means being cast into the lake of fire for life. But it is a life that never ends. On and on and on. The clock on the wall there goes around 24 hours a day. seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, on and on. First million years you've been there has ended and you begin the second. It doesn't even matter. The next minute, it doesn't matter. So in the passage, Here, how shall I, that's you talking to yourself, how shall I escape? Well, here, for there is a danger of losing that which is most valuable. What your boss tells you, that's important, that you might keep your job. What your physician tells you, that's important, it might mean your physical life. But Paul's saying here, earnest, if we neglect Therefore, you ought to give the more earnest, more abundant attention, more abundant in hearing, more abundant in holding, more in degree, greater degree, earnest, more exceedingly. You might have a program that you get involved in. And it, it just, it takes your mind, it grabs your emotions, and it holds you. That's how good the program was. I can't make the gospel something that will catch and hold your attention. I can only plead with you, do not be careless in giving a more abundant, more earnest hearing that has eternal consequences. You go out, you got to work tomorrow, I know that. But that's not the greatest thing. It's very important. You've got to provide for your family. Very important. A man that will not provide for his family is worse than an infidel. You got to provide for your family. But there's, there's something far greater than you sustaining your own physical life because you work, or providing carefully for every need your family has, or something greater, something that ought to be more earnest in your hearing. And I appeal to you, young folks, and you in the generation under me, You've driven so much that you never pay attention anymore. Mom or dad says to you younger drivers, be careful. A mile down the road, your mind's already off on something else. You heard, but you didn't hear. And so it is with the gospel. You hear, but you've got a hole in your vessel and it doesn't take much to get your attention so that what you obtain is lost before you get home. Hearing, ordinary things. In 1952, the first open-heart surgery. There had been some before, but this was the first year a little five-year-old girl had to have open-heart surgery to repair a hole in her heart over the last 50 years. About 20 years after that first I was sitting in a waiting room, a room where they had moved all the family. And I was sitting in that waiting room with the siblings of a person having to go through open heart surgery. And it was still very, very young. And there was a tense atmosphere. in that room that day. They did not know it was still a serious thing for open heart surgery. Now since the 70s, it's become routine. It's not serious as it was in those early years. And I appeal to you young, but I appeal more now to the older ones here. You've heard the gospel over and over and over for years upon end. And it hasn't lost its newness to you. Has familiarity, it's the old saying, bread contempt, You still read, but your mind's not in it. What's happened? And I remember the first computer. It was in the basement of a building. The room that it held in was 50 feet by 30 feet. and it filled the room. So many, so many cables and it got so hot that it had all these cooling, whatever they were using to keep it cooler. Just fill that room. And in the 70s, even on into the 80s, I think every fundamental preacher in America that believed in the premial reign of Christ on earth, everybody had given that computer the name of the beast. And that's what it became to congregation after congregation. The beast is on the scene. It can hold information of everybody all the world. And many sermons were preached. And when we first got a computer, you had to have screen savers to keep the screen cool. And now you can pick up one and put it in your pocket. And that which was new, is now a common thing. They talked about going to the moon. They talked about space exploration. Nobody believed them. My grandmother never did believe. She believed they just made a picture out in the desert. And she wasn't the only one. And there were some in the generation under her that believed that. But now space, the travel of all the satellites and what it has brought to us. But the only thing that I know that has maintained its original greatness, heart surgery. Great. The microscope. that brought so much to medicine. The telescope that brought so much to space and seeing, bringing space closer to us. They're just simple things now. Very familiar. I have my own telescope. So the only thing that has maintained its original greatness is salvation. A great salvation. But even that in most places has been lost. Down through the ages, when it used to be a miracle that only God could work in an individual's heart. Only God could perform by His Spirit. Only the Spirit of God could take an old sinner and bring conviction into his heart, her heart, so that she knew, I'm lost. And then so deal with that lost seeking individual. The Spirit could continue to bring them on and set Christ before them and enable them to lay hold of him and be converted. That's almost gone. Anybody without God or without the Spirit can now become a Christian. So the gospel in most places, it's not a great salvation anymore. But the methods that are used today to get people converted, they could get a parrot converted. Now little fella, I want you to repeat after me. You believe that there is a God and you could have already told him to say yes? Do you believe that this God loves you, the parrot, yes? Would you like to accept Jesus now as your savior, the parent? Yes. And now the parent's on its road to glory. Without the spirit of God, there shall be no conversion. But folk, if you want to destroy the original, you don't take it and toss it in a garbage bin. It'd be a public revolt. You don't take the Bibles away from everybody. There'd be an outrage, or used to. And they knew that. So by degree after degree, they changed an offensive verse or a passage. Just add in a word or two. And the next generation comes along and it's more offensive, so we're going back and we're going to redo the Bible. We'll take out this phrase and out that phrase and we'll put in this that's more palatable to human affections. Get rid of offensive words, add pleasing words. In over 50 years, you could have destroyed the Bible completely. Now in the 21st century, you've got good news for the modern man. Sin's no longer sin. It is only sin if I think or say it is sin. Do you think these things are new? 26, 2700 years. We'll do that. Turn back to me, with me. Hold your place here now, Mark, and go back to Jeremiah chapter 6. I hope none of you will leave today thinking I'm just a mean old man. I'm not that. I just have a great interest in everybody's soul. Jeremiah 6, verse 16. Thus saith the Lord. Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, we will not walk therein. Also, I set watchmen over you, saying, hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, we will not hearken. Go on and read that, God's gonna bring evil back. And God has filled our streets and our nation. There has never been a time in the history of America that it is as divided as it is nowadays. It's almost like everybody's gotta choose a side. If you're not on my side, then you're wrong. Everybody can't be wrong. Well, that's getting into the history of the nation. Ask for the old paths, Where is the good way? When you hear where the good way is, walk there in and I'll give you rest for your souls. And what kind of man or woman, boy or girl would say to God, we will not walk there? Not gonna do it. Instead of giving heed to what this old, old, 6,000 year old book, not all of it, 6,000 years old, you got the New Testament. And what we were reading there in Jeremiah, that's almost 4,000 years. from the first words, Adam, where art thou? What have you done? And then the words to others up until Moses, and then there's the law. From 6,000 years down, you've got the good old, old book. But my generation comes along. And there's many that begin to draw folks aside. Let us adopt an acceptable, kinder method and message. rebels in my generation, and I cannot think of the actress name, went over there to North Vietnam while we were in war, Jane Fonda. People like her And they threw away the Bible completely. Those that kept it began to change it. Now we've got an easier gospel. It's as though God has changed. And God has developed a disposition that tolerates sin, and accepts those that are just doing the best they can. Within the last week, a sweet, lovable grandmother was asked, grandmother, will God send me to hell for drinking and cursing? And grandmother said, oh no, no. He would never do that, but you do need to change. And there's a good possibility that that grandmother will be hearing screams very near her as she burns in the lake of fire. Grandmother, you lied to me both in eternal torment. That's not a hearsay. That's not a made up story to tell you. That is undeniable facts. It came from the grandmother's mouth. I had to inhale. Oh, children, take God seriously. Back to Hebrews 2. Take the Word of God seriously. Hebrews 2, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Now, I could keep you here day after day talking about the greatness of salvation. talking about the greatness of the Savior, about the heart of God. Even at one point, giving his son up, here he is. Here's the scapegoat. Here's the Lamb of God, take him. We could be here a long time just talking about the greatness of God. How shall we escape? For verse two closes out, every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward. I could come down here and never mention hell to you, but that doesn't take it out of the Bible. I could talk to you about eternity and it not faze you, but that does not destroy it. I could plead with you. Mother and dad could plead. I was out of high school. few years and there was a there was a lovely couple I don't know if it was prom night I don't know don't know where they were headed but they were on the road 48 between Wee Dowie and Woodland and at the bottom of that hill when you pass Zion on the left when you pass Zion There's another road that comes in to 48, and there's this large concrete pipe running under the road coming in. And it's a curvy road going down, and this couple, the boy driving, hit that cement pipe. just head on. Both of them killed instantly. And see, you never think about that when you get in a car. Been down this road a hundred times, and it becomes routine. Every transgression Every rebellion, when you say, yes, I will, but you don't. To your mom or to your preacher, sin, rebellion. How shall you escape if you neglect? But Lord, I didn't know that was sin. That's gonna be the cry of most in hell. And the Lord said, you had a preacher, didn't you? Yes, but he never talked about hell or sin. All right, you had a Bible. No, I didn't. Well, you could have gotten one for just change. The reason you didn't get one is you didn't want one. Well, I had a preacher, but he never mentioned anything about this, and the Lord would say, yes, but he's right behind you in the judgment line, and his degrees of punishment in hell will be greater than yours, because your blood is required at his hand. Oh, young people growing up, even my age that's getting pulled back, saying it's no longer sin, we justify everything. If you do it, you gotta justify it. Whatever you say, whatever you think, Well, I didn't know our thoughts. Every word, every thought. Every motive. And you go up and you apologize. And you said, dear, I apologize, but If you hadn't said what you said, I wouldn't have gotten so mad. See, you've excused yourself even in your apology. Just say I'm sorry and leave it there. What are you gonna tell God? I hope you can tell him, Lord, I'm guilty, I'm sorry. I plead for mercy and for grace. So you gotta have a good reason to live as you do, do what you do, talk like you do. But I ask you, what does your Bible say about the things that you allow? Are things that you become a willing partaker in? You know idle words will be brought up at the judgment? Yes. Do you know that a rotten, nasty disposition is great sin? Well, it's who I work with. Children, I know your environment has a lot to do with it, but you should be strong enough if everybody you work with was a straight out devil. You ought to be able to handle it because that's what you were when God saved you. And everybody's got a reason for their actions. And if I don't think it's sin, it must not be sin. This is why there is no escape for any actions, any words, other than. So the question comes up, how shall I escape If I neglect to hear, escape, no longer relevant to me. Nothing you said today relevant to me. If we neglect, if I make light of, that's translated. Neglect is translated make light of in Matthew 22 If we neglect that's also translated regard not and I can't remember I Think that's in Hebrew How shall you escape If you neglect so great a salvation. And all of you that has been brought into the fold, let's start getting our lives tuned better so that we might be looking for the Lord this afternoon. live like a Christian, talk like a Christian, act like a Christian. If you're not a Christian this morning, there is a savior. And I've never known him yet to say, no, I'm not gonna save you. No, I can't. Never known him yet to turn away a sinner. but you gotta be a sinner, that's all that's required. And if the Holy Spirit will ever break your heart because of the fact that you are a sinner, then flee, flee to the blessed Lamb of God, dear children. For Paul said, how shall we? And I can answer it, you won't escape. if you neglect so great a salvation.