Therefore is a great word for starting our Epistle because it lets us know that what is read is based on what has been said just a chapter earlier. And the preceding chapter, the first chapter of Hebrews, starts, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.”
In that first chapter Jesus is distinguished from the prophets as the culmination of their life and message. This week’s therefore includes Jesus being Savior and God: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” By the order of creation and by the order of redemption, Jesus is in all things God, speaking among us in these last days. Hebrews chapter 2 starts by communicating ‘In light of our knowledge of Jesus as Savior, we must pay closer attention to what we have heard.’
“Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard. Lest we drift away from it. For since the message delivered by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”
Americans neglect the faith all of the time. A significant percentage of college students stop attending church when they go away to college- living on their own, they simply do not keep up the tradition they received from family to attend worship and walk with Jesus.
They may think of themselves as Christians for the time being, but many will never go back to church, and it is unknown what if anything they will teach their own children if God blesses them with such a gift.
“For since the message delivered by angels proved to be reliable”, This is not just a wishful thinking of what may be the right way to live, God’s Word is true, it has been delivered to us by angels and prophets alike, and it has never been demonstrated to contradict itself or be a fraud. Since we can relay on it, and since we have been saved by it, how unfortunate if we do something so shortsighted as to neglect God’s Word.
People of all ages are at risk for the practice of neglect of their faith. It can start with attending church less and giving up on hearing and reading God’s Word. With time away from the Word people often develop their own perspective on which parts of God’s Word should be followed and which are not as important anymore.
Some teachings of God’s Word may then feel more inconvenient to hold, as they cause disagreement and hostility from the world. And then in time the heart is hardened to where there is little faith and trust in Jesus, “I am a good person, that is what matters” people then conclude. The process of neglect of Jesus continues to develop as sin grows.
If you were to buy a new house at the age of 25 and never clean, paint, repair or attend to, it would prove useless to you far before reaching retirement age. If you were to buy a new car but never inflate the air in the tires when low, never change the oil, how long before the car was ruined?
Or consider the condition of your body if you were to neglect regular hygiene, think nothing of nutrition or how much you rest or exercise you should be getting? How long could your relationships last if you pay no attention to birthdays or quality time together, or provide no acts of service?
The neglect of our faith is no different. How disastrous the results should we give no though to the importance of the care of our faith! Of course the most important risk is that of eternal consequences of God’s judgement. But just like you normally feel a bad night’s sleep the next day or a bad day of your diet- you no doubt can feel the short term effects of spiritual neglect. Discouragement, hopelessness, anger, resentment, jealousy, self doubt.
How shall we escape this tragic fate of neglect of our faith? The rest of our reading from Hebrews clarifies that it was not to angels, or for that matter prophets that God subjected the world to, but to Jesus. The rest of the reading describes not how great is our neglect of our faith, but how great is the salvation we have in Jesus.
“At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”
Jesus has always been the ruler of the world, and Jesus set aside his rule over us by dying on the cross for us. Ruler of all, he made the ultimate sacrifice so that we would not taste death.
We would never design it like that, we would build a kingdom by what we can achieve with brick and mortar. Listen to the words of the Introit: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” The Lord builds the house with love and self sacrifice. The Lord builds the house with our unity.
Often we neglect our faith the most when we are alone. Times when we chose to go a solitary route of selfishness are times when the attacks of Satan are most powerful against us. Together as the body of Christ, we learn to encourage one another in God’s Word, we build each other up.
God designed the church to grow from the foundation of families. Eve was created out of Adam and the two became one flesh. This is the picture of marriage that Jesus describes in our gospel lesson, the unity of Husband and wife a mirror of the unity between God and mankind. The love between husband and wife a reflection of the love Jesus has for the church.
Instead of neglecting our faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit we move forward in courage to train up children in the faith. The scripture describes children as a blessing from the Lord. This is a continuation of the gift of creation. Children are a blessing for countless reasons, and one reason that is often overlooked is that children resemble our Savior who came to the world as an infant and as a child. Jesus hallows all children as a reflection of him.
A quiver full of children comes out to five children. Enough children where blessings abound and self sacrifice of parents is a given. Our culture says it is better to have small families for reasons of selfishness, or a view of children as an economic burden. The richness of God’s creation is so much greater than the riches of the world that it is not even close.
The world tries to tell us that the best riches and blessings in life are what you can buy with money and what benefits you as an individual. This ‘me first’ perspective is clearly a design of Satan, who must love that so many Americans think of child sacrifice in the form of abortion as the means of freedom and salvation and route to realizing their individual dreams.
In contrast we as the church are a voice of truth that speaks about the joy of God’s creation and the gift of life as our great treasure and heritage from the Lord. Putting ourselves above others is the last thing we want to do.
It has been said many times hear and throughout the church, as selfish as we may be, as faithless as we may be, God is more faithful. Jesus never neglects us, but always is pruning us and shaping us to be the branches that connect to him the true vine.
Undoing the effects of neglect may take time in most areas of life, but every time we turn to the Lord in repentance and receive forgiveness all is made right in our lives. Each time we receive the Lord’s Supper in repentance and faith, all is made right, our sinful neglectful spirit is restored to the joy of the Lord’s salvation. This is the plan of the Father as the master gardener. Rejoice in his wonderful design for you. Amen.
-Summary of the main topic of the sermon or children’s sermon:
-What is a summary or an example of Law that you hear in the sermon?
-Provide your summary of the gospel you heard in the sermon:
-What personal application can you find in the sermon? What action does the Holy Spirit call you to in this sermon?