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Sermon #5788

How Shall We Escape?

A Sermon on Hebrews 2:1-4

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Scripture

Hebrews 2:1-4 ESV KJV
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared 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? It …

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Sermon Description

What does it mean to look forward to the heavenly kingdom of God? The Bible tells that all believers are pilgrims and sojourners waiting for the day that Christ will return and make all things new. Christ will complete the salvation that He has begun and all who believe will be finally and fully freed from sin and death. This is the most important truth for anyone because all are in sin and depravity. But God comes to sinners in grace and gives them freedom and adoption in Him. In this sermon on Hebrews 2:1–4 titled “How Shall We Escape?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches that all are in need of Christ. Human wealth and wisdom cannot compare with what God has given all His children, to the grace that has been freely bestowed up all who trust in His Son. The sermon calls the listener to lay aside pride and self-reliance, and trust wholly on God. It offers great encouragement to those who believe. To those who do not believe, it calls them to flee from sin and trust in God alone.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The author of Hebrews exhorts Christians to hold fast to their faith in Christ.
  2. The author argues that the message of salvation in Christ is greater than the Law given through angels.
  3. The author asks how can we escape eternal punishment if we neglect such a great salvation.
  4. The salvation offered in Christ is great because of its divine authorship - the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  5. The salvation offered in Christ is great because it saves us from a terrible eternal fate of misery and judgment.
  6. The salvation offered in Christ is great because of what it saves us to - adoption as children of God, eternal glory, etc.
  7. The salvation offered in Christ is great because it provides pardon, forgiveness and reconciliation with God.
  8. The salvation offered in Christ is great because Christ sympathizes with our weaknesses and temptations, and provides grace to overcome them.
  9. The salvation offered in Christ is great because Christ, though equal with God, humbled himself by becoming a man and dying on the cross.
  10. The incarnation and death of Christ comprise the greatest drama in history.
  11. Christ was made lower than the angels in order to suffer death for the salvation of all people.
  12. Christ was crowned with glory and honor after accomplishing our salvation through his death and resurrection.
  13. Christ is now seated at the right hand of God, awaiting the day when all his enemies will be made his footstool.
  14. Christ will return in glory to judge the world and gather his people to himself.
  15. We should continually meditate on the greatness of Christ and the salvation he has accomplished.

Sermon Q&A

What Does Lloyd-Jones Mean by "So Great a Salvation"?

Based on Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Hebrews 2:1-4, let me address what he means by "so great a salvation" and why Christians should value it so highly.

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe salvation as "so great"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the salvation offered in Christ is "so great" for several key reasons:

  1. Because of its divine authorship: "It is great in its authorship, great in its origin, great in its genesis... It is something that has been produced by the Blessed Holy Trinity. That's why you and I should hold onto it."

  2. Because of what it saves us from: "You measure the greatness of the salvation by measuring the greatness of the calamity from which it saves us." It saves us not just from temporal troubles but from "everlasting and eternally eternal misery and wretchedness and deadness outside the life of God."

  3. Because of what it saves us to: Salvation gives us "pardon and forgiveness of sins," makes us "children of God," helps us overcome the power of sin, and gives us citizenship in "the world to come."

  4. Because of the cost of our redemption: The greatest evidence of salvation's greatness is seen in Christ himself, who "though he was equal with God... humbled himself" and suffered death for our salvation.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the world's response to this salvation?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones laments that people are uninterested in the gospel because "they have never seen their plight and predicament as they are without it." He notes:

"Why is the world in general not interested in the Gospel of Christ? This evening there's only one answer to that question. They think as long as they've got an affluent society and as long as they got plenty of money and can enjoy themselves, that all is well, they never stop to think of death and the judgment beyond it."

What does Lloyd-Jones say about how Christians portray salvation?

Lloyd-Jones expresses concern that Christians themselves fail to convey the greatness of salvation:

"I have a terrible fear that many people are outside the Christian church because so many of us give them the impression that what we've got is something very small, very narrow, very cramped and confined. We haven't given them the impression that by not being Christian, they are missing the biggest, the grandest, the most glorious thing in the entire universe."

How does Lloyd-Jones illustrate the value of salvation?

He uses several powerful illustrations:

  1. The painting analogy: A painting worth under 100 pounds was later valued at 136,000 pounds when discovered to be by El Greco. Similarly, we value salvation by its author—God Himself.

  2. The drug analogy: Expensive "miracle drugs" that cure lethal diseases are more valuable than cheap aspirin for headaches. Salvation is infinitely valuable because it cures our greatest problem—sin and separation from God.

  3. The businessman with guilt: He shares about a wealthy businessman who couldn't buy peace of conscience for his past wrongdoing, showing that "reconciliation is more precious than the whole universe."

Dr. Lloyd-Jones concludes with a powerful call to Christians to recognize what they possess: "Have you seen the greatness, the glory of it all? Give yourself no rest nor peace until you find yourselves lost in wonder, love and praise at so great a salvation."

Itinerant Preaching

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.