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[0:00] I would direct you to the second chapter to the Hebrews, and the first 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.

[0:26] 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 so great salvation?

[0:48] The second chapter to the Hebrews, and the first to and a part of the third verse. I think that more than once or twice, I have brought your attention to this word, and therefore, there are more of those in the epistles of the Hebrews than in any other.

[1:26] And they are of great importance. Therefore, it shows the reason for what is said or declared or commanded.

[1:46] The reason for what is said or declared or commanded. And this is, I see, the profound epistle.

[1:58] Therefore, therefore, of course, that therefore contains especially these two chapters.

[2:12] Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard. Therefore, why, why should we give the more earnest heed?

[2:25] Well, in the first stage, it is because of the first word in the first chapter.

[2:38] God. God. God in Christ. The dignity of this person. His sovereignty in the world.

[2:53] He made it. And, uh, uh, it is a dignity above any other creature.

[3:05] For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.

[3:18] Um. And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he said, And let all the angels of God worship him.

[3:30] But unto the Son, he said, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

[3:43] Therefore, we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard.

[3:55] There's another reason. There's many others. There's another reason. There's many others. But there's another reason in this first, uh, uh, uh, chapter, verse of the fourth chapter.

[4:08] Let us therefore, therefore, fear. Why? Let the promise being left of entering into his rest.

[4:21] Any of you should seem to come short of it. That's the reason. That's the reason. For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them.

[4:37] That is, as well as unto them in the wilderness. Their carcasses fell in the wilderness. They were brought out of Egypt.

[4:49] They were brought out of the world. They never got to heaven. They fell in the wilderness.

[5:01] For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them. And the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

[5:14] So, uh, they were unbelievers. And, uh, through unbelief they were brought out of Egypt but fell in the wilderness.

[5:27] That's very solemn. And that's the next second letter, therefore. Let us, therefore, fear. Lest we become like one of those.

[5:38] Let us attend the chapel all your life and hear the truth. And, uh, and yet, um, that's all.

[5:55] You can't fall from grace. But you can fall from a profession of it. Come, wam, alright. Wherefore we ought to give the more earnest deed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them split.

[6:22] So there are times and conditions which are of such a nature that the things of God and the things that we hear preached and what are revealed in the word of God, we let them slip.

[6:42] Something else comes in. Our commonality gets strong. The things of God get dim and far off. The world becomes near.

[6:58] The slip. Asaph said, my feet had well-nice slip. John, my feet had well-nice slip.

[7:12] For I was envious of the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked he was near God. Therefore, we ought to give the more honesty to the things which we have heard.

[7:33] And for that we need faith. And we need that the word of God by the Spirit should be as a nail fixed in a sure place.

[7:50] And that sure place, in one sense, is the new heart of the new man of grace.

[8:00] Oh, but the nails that were in a sure place, when Calvary, in the sacred hands and feet of the Redeemer, his sufferings for the sins of his people.

[8:22] Oh, if we could but know him more. And know ourselves as he sees us.

[8:36] I've often responded in my mind when I have thought of what it cost the Lord Jesus.

[8:49] Am I worth it? Oh, if you take notice of these steps, we want to give the more earnest key to the things that we have heard.

[9:05] And see what is inside of the therefore. A different thing. There are two different therefores. Under what we refer to.

[9:19] and there is another therefore in these three chapters therefore holy brethren our takers of the heavenly calling consider the apostle and high priest of our profession Jesus Christ consider him in the first chapter we have considered him his glory, his beauty his equality with God his dignity, his eternity therefore we ought to give the more earnest key to the things which we have heard do we?

[10:18] you heard a lot you think of him I think of this divine person who is immutable eternal and we have heard of him his gospel his grace heard of him as the redeemer the savior of the world therefore we ought to give the more earnest key to the things which we have heard we give a lot of heed to the things of time we are very careful concerning our possessions and our things which the flesh can go after and we secure them in a safe place we ought to give the more earnest heed and this more earnest is important we could read it like this therefore we ought to give give a more heed to the things we have heard but the more earnest heed not only a more earnestly in diligence than we have done but more earnest in comparison with everything else and sometimes when the Lord touches your heart you do you say let it all go yes we are not called upon as some have been they are being called upon to lose all faith God

[12:36] Abraham did when the Lord called him to go to a place he knew not where but he obeyed he took nothing with him of his possessions but the Lord maintained him how much have you lost for Christ and oh my friends if he loves you he'll bring you into some trying places you'll lose some things that you very much pride yes and you'll find that at first tribulation doesn't give you patience it makes you rebellious but when the Lord is in it then tribulation works it the Holy Spirit works it takes it plunges you into a trial and takes some dear one from you brings you into a position that you can't get out surround you with impossibilities and there's teaching in it all that may appear to be a very simple thing but when the Lord is doing that with his people he really is underlining all his dealings with that message

[14:24] I know you don't what I do they know is not know but they shall know hereafter I know the thoughts that I think toward you thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you unexpected end I know there's been a comfort that some poor souls have been rubbed right down the Lord knows poor Jeremiah he would rather have died than lived he asked to die he felt he couldn't go on he'd rather die than live but oh how you read on from there and how the Lord comforted for Jeremiah I will entreat the enemy for thee and it shall be well with thy remnant

[15:35] Jeremiah I've got it in hand therefore we ought to give some more earnest heat to the things which we have heard the promises that are spoken the thing is my friends that we need faith nothing else can give us this diligence and give us to feel the importance of the word of God especially when he fulfills it and therefore we ought to give the more earnest heat to the things which we have heard unless at any time we let them leak out I think that's these margins all run out as leaking vessels and sometimes we may mourn because we're such leaky vessels you you you you you may appreciate the truth but oh the carnality of our minds what you long for is what we were trying to talk about the other day the mystery which is hidden from ages which is

[17:17] Christ in you the hope of glory you take him where you go he goes with you he went with his disciples in the prison he was with Daniel in the lion's den he was with Jonah in the belly of hell see what he is he's omniscient he can see everything and everywhere and he has declared of himself I am the Lord the God of all flesh that is a declaration of his absolute sovereignty and he makes a challenge upon the ground of that sovereignty is there anything too hard for me he speaks like that to his people for their encouragement he challenges them some of you may have got circumstances which is enough to break your heart but if the

[18:39] Lord speaks speaks such a word as that why it loses its influence its power why because it takes the the thing out of the affliction and brings you into whatsoever condition you're in to this light affliction which is but for a moment work it there's that working again it doesn't give it you can't produce it work it and that work it is a kingdom it's the authority of the king it's the work of the holy ghost work it for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory why because we look not at the things that are seen but at the things which are not seen therefore we ought to give the more earnest need to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip a change of circumstances might make it slip you might be prosperous in your soul under poverty and pain but if you had a legacy left you and your pain and affliction departed it would be a dangerous place to let it slip and that's why the

[20:59] Lord weighs this people down brings you in a place where you can't slip for he's holding you fast under affliction it brings you to be bound in affliction and iron you don't slip much there it's when we leave in Zion everything is alright but oh we haven't time to go into these things but you know it well in Habakkuk everything was wrong I don't know what some farmers would think wonderful thing you say could have the grace of Habakkuk although the fig tree shall not blossom and there be no fruit on the vine and the labor of the olive shall fail and there be no grass in the field no herd in the store what a case but he had attended unto the things he heard from heaven yet will

[22:32] I rejoice in the Lord I rejoice in the God of my salvation though oh oh God remain forever that's another reason therefore ah that thou art the same thy years shall not fail the same he is the same when you change he is the same to you if you are brought into adversity and your business fails or you may lose your dear ones he is the same and his years shall not fail and what he is in his eternity so he is in all the disastrous people he cannot fail and yet he brings us into a position as though it seems that he has failed but he hasn't his sovereignty is immutable none can offer him let at any time we should let them slip let us then my dear friend say he faith and fear let the promise being left up of entering into his rest into him any of you should seem to have come short of it and what does that mean any of you should see why some alteration has come and it seems now that whereas one time you entered into the promise and the promise there is heaven but you see you've had some prosperity your case in providence is changed and you have let the things of

[25:07] God slip and appear as though you found a treasure on earth which has eclipsed that glorious treasure in heaven let us therefore fear that the promise being left us of entry into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it looks as you have your interest even in other things of God he brought very love unified of a soul decay feel mercy if we let us bring us love if the Lord and his mercy will come as he did to the prodigal yes the prodigal he didn't give any more on his feed to the things of his father's house as long as he got all he wanted for the flesh he was off the

[26:30] Lord was following him up what a mercy if the Lord is following up any that have gone away from the truth he can bring them back for the word spoken by angels for if the word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward how shall we escape what way of escape is there what will you do to escape the just judgment of God and his punishment to escape how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation now the thing is what is it to neglect it you may attend every service and neglect it you would neglect it if you took no more earnest deed of the things that are spoken you neglect it of course it is neglected if you cease to attend the appointed means of grace that is to neglect so great salvation how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation great salvation and the greatness of the salvation is in two things mainly it is the greatness of the condition from which his people are saved look at the state of their nature it is only a great salvation can ever deliver from it but look at the greatness of the redeemer those two things really make the greatness of salvation the greatness of the sins and the nature of sin which brought in the curse upon the world and the greatness of the redeemer in redemption and how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation of course that takes us to the savior and it leads the father that the lord jesus should be the redeemer all his work was by divine appointment in the covenant of grace between the blessed trinity that's where the covenant was made and made between the father son and holy ghost if we neglect the so great salvation and we should only know how great salvation is in the holy ghost revealing to us those two points the greatness of our tenorship and the greatness of the savior and if you know those two if even there are times when we backslide and let them slip yet my friends it won't be long if you belong to the lord that he will allow you to stay there how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation

[31:40] I believe we refer I'm not sure to the condition of the evil times before the deluge when the lord was to destroy the world by water they had no way of his side there were eight souls but one of those was not a child of God it was only seven in the heart that had grace in their heart and that was hand and he was a wicked man and the greatness of this salvation is first as we are told what we are who have felt in the last twelve months since I was ill oh that thing is showing me oh that thing is burnt up thrown overboard and seen one thing that is greater than them all sin just like a tremendous

[33:19] S-I-N which was greater than everything else you'd bear you'd bear your pains your sorrows your losses your heart grief if you saw your sins of your nature from head to foot inside and outside and it is upon that world that we read our light affliction which is but for a moment and it may be a pain a deep sorrow and it may be for a lifetime when the water is to see the Redeemer in his redemption as we've been trying to speak a little bow it would be a great celebration to be saved from it oh if we have faith we shall believe in the truth in the first place we shall have that blessed knowledge of God that he is is not was when he said to those proud

[35:05] Pharisees you are not yet fifty years old and did thou know Abraham oh the glory of his reply before Abraham was I am not I was I am oh could we but have by the spirit ascent of the glory of God of which is hopeless if I might so speak in Christ everything the government was his the government was upon his shoulder that was according to the agreement of the covenant of grace how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation oh what a great salvation it means it needed ten plagues to bring his people out of

[36:21] Egypt and really my friend I feel for myself it needed as much to bring me out the Lord doesn't allow some of his people to go so far but always he has and lays you stricken at his feet without a word to save and you know the greatness of salvation is bigger than you are is bigger than your sins are to swallow it up which as the first began to be spoken by the Lord that's when he was here he only began to speak of it he was only here three years and it was in the covenant grace the work of the

[37:36] Holy Ghost appointed to him as much as the work of redemption was appointed to the Lord Jesus we could as much do without the Lord Jesus as we could the Holy Spirit we needed all and it all fits the love of God the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the communion of the Holy Ghost who wraps it all up wherefore we ought to give the more earnest deed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them split for if the word spoken by angels was said fast and every transgression and disobedience received the just recompense of reward and that was spoken by angels and how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation we could first began to be spoken by the

[39:12]  Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that are heard now on me next tell