A gospel of no impact

Sermon notes from Sunday 26 January 2020

Hebrews chapter 4 - A gospel of no impact

"For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them but the word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." verse 2

When we turn to the book of Hebrews we realise it has an unknown author in the physical sense.  There have been many arguments over its writer.  There is one thing for sure though - this writer has a great knowledge of the nation of Israel, all the ceremonial rights, ark of the covenant, role of priests.  The Lord is high above all these things.  They have come to an end and Jesus is now Saviour.  Verse 2 is our key verse today "For unto us was the gospel preached as well as unto them but the word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."

The writer is comparing the actions of those in bygone days travelling to the land of promise.  Remember Moses bringing the people out of Egypt, going with great promise in their heart.  God went before them as a pillar by day and a flame of fire by night through that wilderness journey.  They came to the banks of the promised land but somehow they would not enter in there.  They would not beleive that God had given to them a place of rest.  The author compares it with the people of his day.  An eternal rest is promised to the children of God today.  An eternal blessing through the name of the Lord.  If we are to come in faith and trusting him he gives unto us eternal life.  "He that believeth on the son hath life and he that believeth not the son hath not life."  How do we believe?  We come to the place called Calvary, to that hill where we see 3 crosses standing - one thief on one side and another on the other side.  2 men who had done so many wrong things there.  On the middle cross we see none other than the Son of God, Christ himself.  He is dying there not because of his sin but because of the thieves sin on either side of him and because of the sin of the Pharisees and chief priests, the religious leaders standing watching as well as the Roman centurions.  He is dying because of your sin and mine.  To believe means when I take the Lord as my own personal Saviour.  "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3 verse 23)  The God of heaven took his own son, placed him on the cross of Calvary, every sin of the whole world was laid on him.  He way dying to atone for the sins of the world, dying there to take your sin and my sin.  Have you accepted him?  The work has been done, completed.  The work pleased his fahter in heaven with the sacrifice given.  Have you pleased the Lord, have you accepted him as your Saviour, asked him into your heart, into your life?  The people could not go any further, could not take the step into the land, couldn`t believe that God had done this for them.  Maybe you cannot believe that God has done that for you.  Until you do that you cannot enter into that rest.  A gospel of no impact.  How often we ask the question why people are not getting saved, how can someone stand up after hearing God`s voice speaking through his word and not be saved?  That is a gospel of no impact.

The gospel challenges.  Here were people who came to the brink of the Promised Land but could not enter in because they wouldn`t receive it by faith.  The gospel message challenges.  It challenges us in the way we are living.  When that happens people close their ears, don`t want to hear this message of how they are living.  Think of the people in Ephesus.  How where they living?  They were worshipping the goddess Diana, not the God of heaven.  Acts 19 verse 28.  For some 2 hours after Paul preached the word of God the people chanted "great is the goddess Diana".  Imagine for 2 hours they stood up after listening to the gospel message chanting "great is the goddess Diana."  Paul challenged the way they were living.  In Acts 17 Paul was in Athens and as he waited for the rest of the team to join him he spent his time looking at the city.  He looked into the eyes of men and women passing by him.  Here was a city given over to idolatry, blinded by that worship.  Paul`s heart was moved and stirred.  He presented to them the gospel.  Challenged the way they were living.  He came to the conclusion that people were very religious, the most religious he had ever come across.  Today there are many who are very religious.  They have their church, they read their bible, they say prayers.  The gospel challenged the lifestyle of the people of Ephesus.  In Acts 17 verse 22 when Paul stood on Mars Hill he said "I perceive that in all  things ye are too superstitious."  Paul was challenging their way of life  Paul was comparing their religiousity with faith in Christ.  They had come so far short.  Have we been challenged in our lifestyle?  "As I passed by and beheld your devotions."  It was not something made up.  He had the proof of their worship of idols.  He found an altar, somewhere they could bring sacrifices to day and daily to appease their gods.  Paul said "I found an altar to the unknown god."  There are these gods we worship but just in case there is one we haven`t named lets put up this altar to an unnamed god.  Paul challenged them about this.  He opens up the word of God to them.  God will one day ask us to stand before him.  God loved us and gave his son to save us.  For the Thessalonians it was the same.  People given over to religious lifestyle.  The gospel challenged them.

The gospel convinces.  This people Paul was speaking of in verse 2 had no problem with the gospel.  The problem was with their hearts.  They were challenged in how they were living, they were now convinced about what they should do.  Sadly though they were not convinced to step into the promised land.  Deuteronomy 1 verse 21 "The Lord has set the land before you, go up and possess it."  Moses brings the word of a promised rest but they couldn`t go through with it.  The gospel brings the promise of rest in salvation - "come unto me all ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest."  Caleb tried to convince the people to go in and possess the land.  They felt it would be better to return to Egypt.  That is what we find in people today.  We present Christ as the Saviour of the world but then comes the convincing.  The Thessalonian people began to compare how they were living, they became opposed to what Paul was preaching.  In Acts 2 the people had been challenged about their lifestyle.  They are convinced that they need to do something.  Have you ever been challenged about your life?  Are you living a selfish life of idolatry?  The jailer in Philippi asked "what must I do to be saved?"  When he looked at the life of Paul and Silas he saw the rest they had, he was convinced he had to do something.  We can only be convinced when we face up to it.  

The gospel converts - are we happy in the life we are living or do we want something better?  God has given an opportunity to be convinced about the lifestyle we should be living that we want to become converted.  Can we look back to a day when we were challenged and then became convinced?  Have we become converted?  Acts 17 verse 34 "certain men clave unto him and believed."  Challenged and convinced but converted.  1 Thessalonians 1 verse 5 "for our gospel came not unto you in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."  Paul in an old prison house told a jailer "believe on the Lord and you will be saved."  He knew he had to something.  He believed and was converted, saved by the grace of God.  In Acts 10 God opens the lid and lets us see what is happening in a Gentile house - the angel came to Cornelius as he was praying.  He was told "your prayers have been heard."  Cornelius was a well respected man in his home, looked up to in the community, treated the poor very well, gave all he could, had a great relationship with God because he prayed but he wasn`t saved.  We need to understand how close we can get and not be saved.  Cornelius was convicted but he needs to be saved.  He was told to send for Peter.  That however is not conversion.  Cornelius might say he had a religious experience in his own living room when the angel came down but it was not conversion.  Many are challenged that something needs to happen but it is not conversion.  Many today are living their own lifestyle, say they were challenged and convicted in meetings but never converted.  Some would say they have experienced the lovely presence of the Lord.  To be saved or converted is something that Cornelius found when Peter came to his home and opened up the word of God.  The Holy Spirit fell on that meeting.  They accepted what Peter preached about.  They accepted Christ as Saviour.  Salvation is a living encounter with Christ, nothing else.

The gospel changes.  1 Thessalonians 1 verse 9 - when Paul preached to the Thessalonians they took their idols to the one side, they were now waiting on the Lord.  The gospel challenges me that I am not living right.  The gospel convinces me that I need to do something.  Conversion saves my soul.  The gospel also changes me from the inside out.  You are a new creature in Christ.  Galatians 5 verse 1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."  Is there a change in our lives?  Are we new creatures in Christ?  Paul says it didn`t profit them - why - because it wasn`t mixed with faith.  To be saved today means you have faith in your heart.