The Danger of the Drift

Intro

Walking through chapter 1, we find:

Jesus is the missing puzzle piece. Jesus has always been the plan from the very beginning. God is now communicating through Jesus.

Jesus has a better name than the Angels - God has never addressed an angel like He has Jesus

Jesus has a better function than the Angels - Angels are subservient to Jesus, including ministering to the saints

Jesus has a better position than the Angels - He sits on the eternal throne

All that Jesus is...what is the problem

Drifting naturally happens without an anchor to something solid. If we are not securely set in the superiority of Jesus, we will drift with the currents of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

David Guzik

The problem is always us…we start to drift without holding fast to the anchor. We must be securely set in the superiority of Jesus.

The author of Hebrews understands this fact, which brings us to the first warning of the letter...

Pay Attention

Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

Therefore - pointing back to the communication already given - earnest heed to the things which we have heard

Jesus is better than the prophets - the missing puzzle piece

Jesus is better than the angels - God said so all throughout the Old Testament

Which leads us into this warning…

We - the author includes himself in the conversation - So this is a universal warning to a certain extent

If we do not pay attention to ultimately Jesus, God’s Word…we have a chance to slip or drift

Ill: ring on the finger - VBS Carnival - The ring stayed on all night, until certain variables were included: temperature - colder / wet / whipping my arms around

Sometimes we seem fixed on Jesus, yet when certain variables come into play…we slip.

Ill: Drift in the ocean - jumping into the waves - When our focus stayed on play, we tended to drift. When our focus stayed on the group, we adjusted course.

Sometimes, we seem fixed on Jesus, yet when we start focusing on other things…we drift.

Can you really focus on the drifting to keep from drifting…no, you don’t notice until you look to your mark.

Hebrews 12:2 “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

You think that was bad…

Hebrews 2:2 “For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,”

What message was given by the angels?

The angels were involved in the giving of the law.

Galatians 3:19 “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.”

Paul is giving the purpose of the law. People were missing the mark, falling short of the glory of God. God institutes the law till Jesus, promised offspring, comes. But the angels put the law in place by an intermediary: Moses.

Acts 7:53 “you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.””

Judgement was dealt for those who were disobedient to God’s law. Even ignorant sin was dealt with, yet willful disobedience demanded separation from God.

Numbers 15:30–31 “But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.””

High hand - defiantly

This message from the angels of judgement for disobedience was reliable. God will punish those who disobey.

Hebrews 2:3 “how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard,”

Using a Compare tool to prove his argument

If it was bad to disregard/disobey/drift from the message delivered by the angels, how much worse would it be for those who neglect/drift/walk away from the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Which Jesus, who is better than the angels, spoke…

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.””

The same salvation and Jesus that the first generations confirmed…

1 John 1:1–3 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”

This includes Paul confirming the gospel as a first generation Christian…the closest to Jesus…the messenger/apostle of Jesus Christ (which affirms this was most likely not written by Paul, himself)

Galatians 1:12 “For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 2:4 “while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

This same gospel given by Jesus, confirmed by the apostles, and accompanied by signs/wonders/miracles/gifts of the Holy Spirit…to confirm this was of Jesus

Acts 2:43 “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.”

Acts 4:30 “while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.””

Acts 5:12 “Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.”

Acts 6:8 “And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.”

All this by the will of the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:14–18 “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”

1 Corinthians 12:11 “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

Yes, the angels gave God’s Word and it was to be obeyed. But Jesus, who is the point, who is the redemptive plan, who is the solution for our sin problem and eternal destination, who is the victorious in the seed war prophesied in Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”” …is better than the angels. He brought the gospel, and to deny this, which was told by Jesus / ushered in through Jesus / confirmed by His apostles / accompanied by supernatural gifts / all by the will of the Holy Spirit…would be destructive to you.

Hello…He is trying to get your attention. The Gospel given by Jesus…Jesus is the missing puzzle piece. Do not miss it.

Unbeliever - warning

If someone who has never responded to the gospel, an unbeliever, denies Jesus and His gospel. Eternal separation from God is on his/her doorstep.

Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”

You have a limited time to respond in faith to God’s solution. Pay attention.

To die without faith, you will be judged. Your sentence is guilty.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

But the author here is including himself in this scenario

Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

He says “WE” need to pay attention to this drift.

This is a problem for professing believers. We tend to get caught in the drift. This isn’t a u-turn. We start straying, one inch at a time, because we are not looking unto the author and finisher of our faith. We start looking at the waves like Peter when he was walking on water. We start looking at the trouble. We start missing our old crowd. We start longing for something different…thinking it was easy at some point. And yet, God says…Look unto Jesus.

How do you know how far you have drifted?

The only way you will know is if you get your focus back on Jesus through the Word of God. Measure up…Look into the perfect law of liberty.

Now put your faith into action.

Don’t forget the DANGER of the DRIFT