0402. THE GREAT SALVATION

THE GREAT SALVATION

"HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF WE NEGLECT SO GREAT SALVATION?" (Heb_2:3).

I. This Salvation is Great. Great, when you think of the greatness of Him who saves. He is the Heir of all things, the Maker of the worlds, the brightness of the Father’s glory, the express image of His Person, who upholdeth all things by the word of His power, and is much better than the angels (Heb_1:2-4). Great, when you think of the awful condition from which He saves, from the guilt and dominion of sin, and delivers from that death which is the wages of sin, and from the wrath of God which must for ever rest upon sin and sinners. Great, when you think of the happy position into which He saves-brought into the family of God, justified from all things, made sons and daughters and heirs of eternal life, having the promise for the life that now is, as well as the life which is to come. Great, when you think of the unspeakable price He paid for our salvation. Not corruptible things, as silver and gold, but His own precious blood. It took the sacrifice of Himself to purge our sins and He willingly, lovingly, gave His all.

II. This Salvation may be Neglected. It is neglected every time the opportunity of being saved is let slip. We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. Because to let the chance slip any one time may be letting it slip for the last time. Many neglect salvation by neglecting the Lord’s day. To neglect the Word of God, the Gospel of God, the strivings of the Spirit of God, and the Providence of God, is to neglect salvation. The process of neglecting, like the process of drifting, may be painless and unconscious, but it is the more dangerous on that account. You may neglect it without hating it or denying it. The Osbtinates, who refuse to go forward, and the Pliables who turn back, equally neglect salvation.

III. This Salvation, if Neglected, Leaves no Escape. This question, "How shall we escape if we neglect?" is one which the wisdom of God cannot answer, although some men in the pride of their own hearts have attempted it. How shall the merchant escape ruin if he neglects his business? How shall we escape hunger if we neglect food? How shall we escape darkness if we neglect the light? How shall we escape the wages of sin if we neglect the Atonement for sin? How shall we escape the wrath of God if we neglect the Gift of God? How shall we escape the doom of the lost if we neglect the Saviour of the lost? How shall we escape the condemnation of Hell if we neglect the salvation of Heaven? "Behold, now is the accepted time." One of the most melancholy sights of earth is a Christless old age.

Autor: James Smith