If Jesus came to save us . . . why do some peole ignore Him?
Jun 5, 2010
The Base for Grace - part two in a study of the book of Hebrews
Mike Gaudet
If Jesus came to save us . . .
. . . why do some people ignore Him?
“We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 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. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” Hebrews 2:1-4
Imagine that you are in a canoe that is being swept downstream. There is a waterfall approaching and you begin to panic because you’re unable make it to the safety of the shore. A Fire and Rescue truck arrives. One of the rescuers throws a line into the water and yells, “Pay careful attention to the rescue line or you’ll drift by it!” “Little chance of that!” you think as you grab the line and hang on for dear life.
We don’t need to be encouraged to pay attention to rescue attempts. We eagerly accept the assistance of rescuers. When it comes to divine rescue though, it’s a different story. The call to “pay more careful attention” is warranted because the chance that we might “drift away” is real . . . “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”
Why would we “ignore such a great salvation”?
We ignore salvation attempts when we don’t believe there is anything to be saved from.
If you are traveling downstream but are unaware that there’s a waterfall approaching, you will not take rescue attempts seriously. You’ll assume they’re for someone else. We ignore an offer of salvation when we don’t believe there are negative consequences to be saved from.
When God led the Israelites through the wilderness, He assured them that obedience would bring positive consequences and disobedience would bring negative consequences. When “every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,” the Israelites learned that “the message spoken by angels was binding.” They learned that God says what He means and means what He says.
On this side of the cross, we don’t experience the kind of immediate consequences the Israelites did. Earthquakes and illnesses are no longer to be seen as expressions of divine punishment. The absence of negative consequences does not mean, however, that salvation is unnecessary.
There’s a story of two farmers. One farmer expressed his devotion to God by not working on Sunday. His neighbor, wishing to expose this decision as foolish, worked extra hard that day. The farmer who refrained from labor believed that God would honor his decision by giving him a greater yield. When the crops were harvested, though, the neighbor who worked on Sunday had a greater harvest. This neighbor submitted an editorial to the local paper stating that his greater yield proved that devotion to God was meaningless. A cascade of editorials, both pro and con, followed. One statement seemed to bring matters into perspective, "God doesn’t settle all His accounts in October!”
When good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people we assume that God is either unjust or uninterested. There will come a day, however, when God will balance the scales of justice. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28
Jesus came to the earth to “take away the sins of many people.” He will “appear a second time” in order to “bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Judgment Day holds no threat for those whose sins have been taken away by Christ.
We also ignore salvation attempts when we don’t believe we can be saved.
If you are being swept downstream toward a waterfall and don’t believe that your rescuer can do anything to help, you will resist rescue attempts. You will continue to try to save yourself. We ignore an offer of salvation when we don’t believe our rescuer can save us.
Jesus promised to give eternal existence to all who trusted in Him. “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24
Why should we believe Jesus?
The miracles Jesus performed are God’s way of helping us to trust in His words. “This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”
In a court of law, witnesses help to convince the jury that the defense attorney or prosecuting attorney is telling the truth. The miracles Jesus did are like witnesses. They are God’s way of convincing us that Jesus is able to rescue us.
God the Father wants you to believe that Jesus is able to take away your sins. He wants you to believe that you have nothing to fear when you appear before Him.
God the Father sent His Son to be your rescuer.
You can trust Him to save you.