Pay Attention... PLEASE

Pay Attention Please

Hebrews 2:1-3

We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. ²For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, ³ how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. ⁴ God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

     Have you ever had severe consequences simply because you did not pay attention? Here in  America we are having all kinds of consequences with one simple thing… people almost driving while they are texting. I say almost driving because I have observed folks speeding down the road as they looked neither to the left or right nor did they look right in front of them.  Some have lost their lives for this failure to pay attention.  Others have been maimed or crippled in some other way for this one little thing of not paying attention. “Just for a minute” they were looking at their phone and not the highway, and then they crashed.  Sometimes others are injured and the textanators walked away unscathed.  People could have experienced salvation from a whole lot of pain, trouble, injury and or loss of life… if they had only paid attention.

     God has established salvation on this earth.  I am talking about salvation from the brokenness in our lives, salvation from darkness and salvation from being lost and living a purposeless life.  He bought and paid for salvation from hell, death and the grave. Let’s face it folks.  There is not a one of us getting out of us here alive.  The latest data of the CDC says that the average American male is now living 75.2 years, and the average female is living 80 years, more or less.  You can diet all you want.  You can exercise all you want.  You can sleep the exact amount of hours you want.  Go ahead spend a whole bunch of money trying to cheat the Grim Reaper.  The bottom line is, sooner or maybe later, the clock is going to run out on you and on me.  We need a Savior. We need THIS Savior.

   This Savior is The Hebrew of Hebrews.  He is The Son of God.   He is Jesus.  He is one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  In keeping with God’s merciful and grace filled plan, He came to this earth, and He lived a sinless life.  He was crucified, dead and then he was buried.  He shed His blood and He sacrificed his body.  The Bible calls Him, “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”  He conquered Hell, Death and The Grave.  If we put our faith in him, one day as life runs out, He will lovingly be waiting for us to take us to a place prepared.

   Is there any way to validate this?  Sure!  Check out our passage above.  First God announced it.  More than 500 people who witnessed Jesus laying down his life and rising from the dead confirmed that they saw Him do it.  And since many of them were killed because they would not recant their testimony, it’s convincing that it is true.  Then too God validated it by signs, wonders, miracles and gifts given by the Holy Spirit.

    Yet it is for certain that, even though I pass on this good news, people will ignore what I am saying, as did the ancients. Their focus will be on other things setting themselves up for an eternal crash.  If you choose to ignore what I am saying, I want to ask, “How can you escape if you neglect so great a salvation?”  Now what do I mean by escape.  I mean just that:  There is a way to get out of here alive.  There is a way to escape death.  There is a way to escape the grave.  There is a way to escape hell.  And that is to take hold of God’s salvation.  It is to pay attention to it.  Pay attention to what John says to you in offering this salvation:

For God so loved the world (this means y-o-u) that He gave His ONLY biological Son that whoever believes in Him will never perish but have eternal life. (Share in God’s life forever.) God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  Those who believe in Him are NOT condemned.  But those who do not believe are condemned already because they have rejected the salvation God offers or ignored it.

 John 3:16ff.

  Come on focus people!  Take some time to read this short passage.  Read it again. What is it saying?  What is it saying to you?  Will you believe in the ONE who is God’s Savior of the world?  Or will you not?  Will you look straight at God’s offer and then believe in Him?  Or will you ignore it.  God loves you.  Yet He will not force you to escape.  He will not force you to quit “texting” your way into oblivion.  He will not force you to stop focusing on other things.  He is a gentleman. I am simply His representative trying to get your attention regarding how you can live beyond the grave.

Will You Pay Attention?

 SoJourner