Guarding Against the Drift

Chapter 2:1-4

PRAY

(READ VERSES)

Tell the story of forgetting my keys and driving to Parson’s, KS

Maybe you are like that—prone to forget stuff, leave things behind, struggle to remember things. Most of the time, we wouldn’t consider these things to cause much harm

However, what happens when we neglect/forget/fail to remember the truth of God—His Word, His love, grace, and His mercy—even His justice, can lead to tragedy:

The reality is—EVERY person in this room—including myself—at some time or another—has/is/or will fail to remember the truth of God’s Word. How do I know this?

Whatever sin you are living in or whatever the sin you last committed is proof.

Listen to what Deitrich Bonhoeffer says:

“It makes no difference whether it is a sexual desire, or ambition, or vanity, or desire for revenge, our love of fame and power, or greed for money…At this moment God is quite unreal to us. [Remember those words.] He loses all reality, and only desire for the creature is real.  The only reality is the devil.  Satan does not here fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God”

When temptation gives birth to sin—it’s because we’ve forgotten, rejected, or drifted from some truth of God’s Word

(1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”)

When we purse worldly identities—we have forgotten we’ve been created fearfully and wonderfully in His triune image

(Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”)

(Psalm 139:13–14 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”)

When we operate out of fear (fear of failure or fear of what others might think), we’ve forgotten a core truth of God’s love…that we are more than conquerors

(Romans 8:34–37 “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”)

When we seek after God’s approval through religion, works, or morality, we’ve forgotten that God is pleased with me, b/c He’s pleased with Jesus!

Due to our sinful nature and pride, we are prone to drift away from God’s truth—to bypass, flow past, or slip away from it; In fact, this is what “drifting,” means.

The Greek word for “drift away” means, “to flow by,” or “to slip away.” It carries the idea of floating aimlessly in the water or something that slips through your grasp.

Drifting is dangerous, b/c it is

Gradual & subtle: it’s the slow fade, the slight turn of the rudder that is hard to see at first and easy to overlook

Neglectful and careless: it’s shows a lack of attention and a disregard of spiritual discipline

Drifting is loss of direction: it’s losing our spiritual direction b/c we’ve casted our eyes elsewhere

Drifting as Wiersebe says, can be easy: “It is easy to drift with the current, but it is difficult to return against the stream.”

One of the most dangerous things we can drift away from is the Supremacy of Christ, something the author of Hebrews emphasizes throughout the book of Hebrews.

The word “supremacy” in the Greek comes from the word, “kyros.” The root of this word is “Lord,” or Master.”

If we are to recognize Christ as supreme, He must be both Savior and Lord. If we profess Christ as Savior but not as Lord we make ourselves hypocrites—”

Separation without devotion leads to isolation, but devotion without separation is hypocrisy.” (Warren Wiersbe)

The author of Hebrews is writing to:

A group of believers who are

weary/tired

being tempted to go back, to retreat and give in

being tempted to go back to false comforts of religion and false comforts of this world?

Have you been there? Are you there now?

Maybe you’ve never been anchored to the truth of God’s Word—the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ!

Are you’re tired and weary, ready to give in and call it a day!

Are you in a space where the enemy is saying, “It’s just better if you go back..it’ll be easier if you go back to who you were before, just throw in the towel..give up!”

Tonight, if you find yourself unanchored (lost) or drifting (a Christian who’s forgetting/forgotten)—I pray that you listen to what God’s Word teaches about Guarding Against the Drift

I. (FIRST) We Hold Onto the Truth

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

“Therefore” Therefore takes a big truth (doctrine), and like a magnifying glass—focuses in on the “why it matters;” or “now that we’ve laid out big truth (i.e., the supremacy of Christ)—here’s why it matters

What’s the doctrine (“big truth”)? Hebrews 1 tells us, look at the verse 1-4:

Hebrews 1:1–4 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.”

What’s the imperative—what is the why or “why it matters?” Because of the big truth of the supremacy of Christ, we must

“…pay much closer attention to what we have heard…” (imperative statement—”we must”)

NLT says “we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard…”

NIV says, “We must pay the most careful attention…”

CSB says, “we must pay attention all the more to what we have heard”

The things we’ve heard—refers to the message and truth of salvation in/through Jesus Christ

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.””

“…lest we drift away.”

(APPLICATION)

Talk about “casting”

Lot, where did he cast his eyes?

Genesis 13:10–11 “And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other.”

Lot was enticed by something that looked like the garden, that mimicked the garden, but wasn’t the garden—he “drifted” away from God and look how verse 11 ends, “…thus they separated from each other”

Casting our eyes (allowing our eyes to drift) away from God—leads to separation (Lot was separated from where the promise was)

Isn’t this how sin works, it looks good, feels good, but it isn’t good—its a passing pleasure that will separate you from God’s promises

There are others, like David and Solomon from the O/T and Peter in the N/T, who takes his eyes off of Christ as “casts” them on the waves

(POINT) Casting our eyes off of Christ, causes us to go where we shouldn’t go, covet what we shouldn’t covet, and sink where we should be standing

It matters that we “cast our eyes”/pay attention the supremacy of Jesus Christ—

He is the means and message of salvation

John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Romans 10:13 “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””

He is the means of our sanctification

Hebrews 10:14 “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

(POINT) Where would we be—what hope would would sin-filled people have—what hope would criminals have, the addicted have, the prideful have, the self-righteous have, the apathetic, comfortable religious person have—what hope would you and I have—if not for the supremacy of Jesus Christ?

If not for the supremacy of Christ—if not for His considering us—if not for His standing in the gap b/t God’s wrath and our condemnation—there would be no Gospel—no good news—there would be no hope of forgiven sins and eternal life…we would be lost, condemned, hopeless and helpless.

(BUT) THANK GOD FOR THE SUPREMACY OF JESUS CHRIST—THANK THE LORD FOR THE CROSS OF CHRIST—THANK THE LORD FOR AN EMPTY GRAVE—AND THANK THE LORD THAT JESUS CHRIST SITS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER TODAY—INTERCEDING FOR US, PURSUING US, PLEADING AND URGING US TO RESPOND TO THE GIFT OF GRACE THAT IS HIS SHED BLOOD!!

(ASK) How do we discover God’s truth?

God’s Word

Psalm 119:160 “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.”

Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

John 8:31–32 “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

Note what Warren Wiersbe says

“I have discovered that neglect of the Word of God and prayer, publicly and privately, is the cause of most “spiritual drifting.” I need not multiply examples because every believer know that is is true.” (Warren Wiersbe)

Look at your own life believer—are you drifting? It’s not that God’s Word has moved far from you—it’s that you’ve moved far from God’s Word!

The further we drift, the further the downward spiral: Life doesn’t get better—marriages don’t get restored, addictions don’t get shattered, broken hearts don’t get mended, lost people aren’t saved—if God’s Word is put down—restoration, shattered addictions, and mended hearts happen when God’s Word is picked up!

Show me a person’s relationship with God’s Word and I will show you their relationship to God

If one’s relationship with the Word is like you treat an AP Calculus book—I wonder what your relationship with God will be

If one’s relationship with the Word is like your relationship to your favorite sports team—then your relationship with God is only seasonal

If one’s relationship with the Word is like your relationship to an estranged family member—then your relationship with God is estranged

If one’s relationship with the Word is like driftwood (which just floats around aimlessly)—then your relationship with God is adrift…BUT

If your relationship with God’s Word is one where you delight and meditate on It—if you think of God’s Word as the Psalmist does in Psalm 119-then you have a life that will produce fruit and be prosperous

Psalm 1:2–3 “but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”

2 Timothy 3:15–17 “and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Obedience to God’s Word

1 Peter 1:22 “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,”

Repentance & confession

Repentance is:

Confession is:

***Repentance and confession are (must be married). You cannot truly repent unless you truly confess; and you cannot truly confess unless you repent. But what seals (or what consummates) repentance and confession in obedience. If repentance and confession are married—than obedience is what consummates the act—what seals a person’s repentance and confession

The product of Biblical confession/repentance is worship (Nehemiah 9:3 “And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God.”

Fellowship

II. (v.2-3) LIVE WITHOUT EXCUSES (STOP MAKING EXCUSES)

Hebrews 2:2–3a“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?

The reliable message declared by the angels, refers to the law that was given to Moses on Mount Sinai

The law (beginning with the Ten Commandments) was given to Israel in order that they might live to honor the Lord and live together in unity as God’s people

The law was reliable b/c it originated from the Lord Himself—it was trustworthy, true, infallible, and without error

Those who were disobedient to the law, “received a just reward,” meaning that those living under the O/T law, if they disobeyed the law, were punished (sometimes severly—as in Achan)

“…how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.” (v.3b)

Neglect—means to be careless; or not to care; it can also mean, “to make light of something (it).”

The root of the word indicates the deliberate act of neglect; in other words—it’s the deliberate, defiant, and decisive (it’s a self-righteous stiff-arm of God’s great salvation)

How much more responsible/accountable are we then to the truth today, seeing as how

Not only do we have the whole of God’s Word,

But the fullness of all God wanted to tell us was declared through His Son, who through His death and resurrection—expressed the fullness of His love, grace, and mercy towards us

(Warren Wiersbe excerpt) “I have often told the story of the pastor who preached a series of sermons called, “the sins of the saints.” He was reprimanded by a member of the church. “After all,” said the member, “sin in the life of a Christian is different from the sin in the lives of other people.” “Yes,” replied the pastor, “it’s worse!”. We have the idea that believers today “under grace,” can escape the chastening hand of God that we so evident “under law.” But to whom much is given, much shall be required.”

Note Peter in 2 Peter 2:21 “For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.”

***What the author is trying to express is there have been so many witnesses, since the ascension of Christ until today, who have testified, preached, and evangelized of the truth of Jesus Christ—there can be no escape from judgment for those who neglect His word, for they are without excuse.***

III. (v.4) Remember…Salvation is God’s Plan…Not Yours

Hebrews 2:3b–4 “…It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.”

Salvation through Jesus Christ has always been God’s plan all along—a plan that in place even before the foundation of the world and first told to Adam and Even

Rev 13:8 “And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.”

Genesis 3:15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

God’s plan of salvation—continued with the apostles and the early Christians—whom the author of Hebrews heard from.

Matthew 28:18–20 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

1 John 1:1–5 “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. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

God’s plan of salvation was seen through His

Signs and wonders:

10 plagues of the Exodus (highlighted by the 10th plague)

Jesus’ miracles & healings…and ultimately

The cross!

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 4:7, 12“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift…“to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,”

(THINK ON IT THIS WAY)

Think about all that salvation accomplishes:

Deliverance from all evil, suffering, and death

God delivers us and saves us to Himself

Salvation is where we find our acceptance by God—salvation joins us with our Savior

In salvation there is a path to life, a fullness of joy, and forever pleasures

Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

God Himself bore witness of the supremacy of Jesus Christ. How?

Hebrews 1:1–2 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

John 1:1–3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

It was/is God’s will to express Himself through the supremacy of Jesus Christ

(CLOSING)

The greatest truth that any person needs to be anchored to is the truth of salvation in and through Jesus Christ. God’s sovereign plan of salvation is rooted in His grace and it centered on the cross. Through His amazing, unmerited, and unfathomable grace, Christ died in our place to forgive us our sins, rose again to call us out of the grave and grants us eternal life. It’s not on us—it’s on God and He’s made the way. And the way was made through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross

The truth of the cross, is the truth we must cling to; b/c it’s only by grace through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ that my sins have been forgiven and yours can be

When I think of the cross, I think of the blood. And I ponder the cross, I think on the Israelites in Egypt and the blood the hid them from death

I live beyond a threshold covered by the Lamb’s blood…but LISTEN—I know the man who lives behind that threshold—a man who’s

Lied

Cheated

Been addicted

Been a hypocrite

Been a gossiper, a man who’s

Hated

Been prideful, full of arrogance/self-reliance/and self-righteousness

OH BUT THE BLOOD…The blood that covers the threshold (my heart) tells the Father in Heaven that all of this has been blotted out, atoned, forgiven, and paid for and HIS CONDEMNATION PASSES ME BY

OH! THE GRACE OF GOD!!! The blood not only cleanses…it changes

Now, I still live behind the shelter of this threshold…but now as a man who’s desire is to

Be a truth-teller

Be a faithful/forgiven/follower of Christ

Be a faithful man/husband/and father

Be a man with tight lips—slow to speak

Be a man who loves well

Be a man who’s been humbled and stripped of pride

Are you here tonight—tired of drifting aimlessly through this world—tired from drifting from one immoral relationship to another—drifting from one passing pleasure of sin to another?

Oh, if there was a person here tonight who might surrender to the supremacy of Christ and see their life radically changed—to see their sins forgiven and their name written in the LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE, would you come forward and say, I NEED JESUS…I NEED AN ANCHOR

If there be a Christian here tonight—who’s allowed themselves to drift from the truth, to drift into worldly pleasures and living, who may have forgotten they live behind a threshold covered in Lamb’s blood, would you come to the altar (one of these men or women) tonight and simply say: “ “I AM TIRED OF DRIFTING! I AM TIRED OF BACKSLIDING,” I NEED JESUS AND ONLY THE TRUTH OF JESUS!”

SECOND ALTAR

Hebrews 3:7–8 “Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,”

Hebrews 3:13 “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Hebrews 3:15 “As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.””