A warning, do not drift away
Notes
Transcript
Scene 1/ Tide & wind can take you a long way from where you want to be, just as life can take you a long way from where you intended 2:1
A number of years ago on our holiday we decided to make use of the kayaks where we were staying and to paddle from Golden Beach to the northern tip of Bribie Island.
Going over wasn’t too hard, although Toni thinks I took the long way!
But coming back the wind had got up and the tide was against us.
It was really hard.
Trying to aim for our intended target required a great deal of effort.
The main problem was the wind.
If you didn’t aim directly into it there was no chance of staying on course.
So we had to aim at a different point and then haul the kayaks over a long sandbar.
It worked!
But if we had let wind and tide take us we would have ended up kilometres from where we wanted to be.
It is the same with life; circumstances can move you to places you didn’t intend to go.
Unless you intentionally focus on your goal and work to get there you will end up somewhere else.
If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.
Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1 communicates this very principle.
Hebrews 2:1
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.
Unless we focus on God and are intentional about our faith; it will collapse when we need it most.
The warning of verse 1 is that unless we are intentional about growth we will drift.
The Preacher Commentary helpfully points out that the idea of drifting here carries three implications.
Drifting or slipping away can be like evaporation.
If you leave a bowl of water out in the sun, it will soon be gone.
If we don’t pay attention to the ongoing work of the Gospel in our lives.
If we don’t listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit; as he seeks to bring to our attention the things that we need to deal with.
If we don’t let him encourage us to step out and have a go at ministry.
Our faith will disappear into thin air just like that bowl where all the water has evaporated away. It will be dry & empty!
Another idea is that drifting or slipping away is like a container that has a slow leak.
If we are sloppy and ill disciplined and don’t repair the hole the container will soon be empty.
If we don’t pay attention to maintaining the work of the Gospel in our lives.
If we don’t pick up our Bibles.
If we don’t set aside time and pray and talk with God.
Then we are effect letting our faith leak away until there is none left to transform us.
The third and plainest meaning is that of a boat that has slipped its moorings during the night and has disappeared.
The owner comes to the dock, fully expecting his boat to be ready for use, and finds nothing.
The post or cleat to which it was tied is still there; the area is deserted and quiet; as far as the eye can see there is absolutely no evidence of the boat or what became of it.
It simply drifted away in a flowing tide because its mooring lines had been carelessly tied and the owner didn’t pay enough attention to it. [1]
The result is that all of a sudden you realize that your faith is a long way from where you thought it was; and when hard times come, you might easily be crushed.
Scene 2/ To their horror the people of Israel often discovered that they were a long way from where they thought they were;
Verse two tells us that they neglected to listen to the law of God and the prophets;
Hebrews 2:2
For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.
And it cost them dearly.
They often thought that everything was fine.
At times they had financial prosperity.
At times they had security.
And then something would come along and they would be devastated.
The simple fact is that they assumed God was with them.
They ignored the commandments and the prophets God sent to remind them that they were drifting away from his standards.
And when disaster came in the form of famine, or pestilence or invasion.
They were surprised that God didn’t protect them.
They ignored the fact that when God promised to be their God and to make them his people that there were conditions.
God expected a genuine relationship, where they would walk with him and not ignore him and his standards.
And he made it very plain that a relationship can’t be one way.
He would love them; but if they rejected his love and laws then they were also rejecting his protection and as a result they would suffer the consequences of their actions.
God would show grace & mercy, Israel would come running back.
Then they would drift away and God would call them back.
They would keep drifting and sometimes even run away.
Eventually God would remove his hand of blessing and let them suffer the consequences of moving out from under his protection.
They would eventually cry out to God and he would show grace & mercy.
And then the whole cycle would repeat again, over and over.
You would think they would get it the first time and at worst the second time.
But this went on for over a thousand years.
From the time of Moses around 1400BC until the time of Ezra & Nehemiah in 444 BC.
We can often wonder about how they could be so stupid!
Faith that works in times of trouble requires intentional effort; Faith that collapses under pressure has been neglected.
But isn’t this often the case.
People don’t want to learn that a relationship with God requires some effort.
You can’t just cruise along expecting that all will be fine.
It’s a bit like a car.
It goes quite well for a while.
As long as you put fuel in it!
But if you never change the oil.
If you never check the radiator level.
If you never put new tyres on it.
If you never change the brake pads.
Sooner or later things are going to end badly.
Scene 3/ This is especially true for us, because we have received the message of salvation from Christ himself.
Verse 3 uses a common literary method in Jewish writing.
Hebrews 2:3
So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?
It is a bit like a progressive argument.
If this thing is true, the how much truer is the next.
If Israel rejected the message given by angels to the prophets
How much more is it true if we neglect the message given by Christ himself?
The message of the Gospel is Christ; faith in him as Lord & saviour.
The Apostles bore witness to its truth.
This is the ultimate revelation of God!
What the writer to the Hebrews is saying to us is, “How can you expect to do well if you neglect the ultimate revelation of God?”
How can you think that faith will grow and develop if you neglect the very foundation of that faith?
How do you expect all to go well for you on judgement day if you neglect the one who is both saviour and judge?
It would be a bit like receiving a sculpture by a master artist.
An object of incredible beauty.
Perhaps Michelangelo sculpture of King David.
Regarded as the finest sculpture in the world.
It is Irreplaceable!
So you wouldn’t just throw it on the back of the Ute and take it to the local car wash to clean it with the pressure cleaner!
And if you did it is certain that the Italian authorities would make sure that you spent a long time in jail.
A central truth of all God’s dealings with humanity throughout history is that;
Scene 4/ Faith that works in times of trouble requires intentional effort.
When we neglect our health there is a price that is paid.
If you don’t make the effort to brush your teeth rot & decay will set in.
If we don’t make the effort to maintain a level of fitness and to have a balanced diet, the risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and a whole heap of other illness goes up.
Once a year I go into the army barracks at Enoggera to undertake my annual fitness test.
It is something everyone has to do including middle age Chaplains.
It is a graded test, the younger you are the harder it is.
The whole idea being that fitness in the ADF is required because you will need to be fit in battle.
It really doesn’t work out to well if a person who is unfit goes into battle.
Being able to run for cover really helps when someone is shooting at you!
Being able to run away might be helpful to!
For me to still be able to pass requires some attention.
I need to get some injuries treated.
It cost money and a bit of pain and effort at the required exercises.
When I work on these things it pays off and I pass comfortably.
But there have been times when I haven’t.
There have been times when not paying attention to things that needed fixing meant that I only just scrapped in.
On those occassions because I wasn’t intentional about my health I paid a huge price and could barely move for days.
Walking up stairs was agony.
Now I could accept that things are good enough that I can just pass.
That there will be a few days of discomfort.
Or I could put in some more effort and reach a level of fitness that improves my health.
Improves my mental alertness.
And improves my mood.
We know that being in good shape with what we eat and how we exercise is very good for us.
And if I put in that extra work the rewards are huge and when the challenge of the test is before me again I will be able to sail through and not suffer at all.
Exactly the same principle applies with issues of faith!
Scene 5/ When we intentionally stay close to Christ our faith will be strengthened, and we will see the confirmation of the gospel through the gifts and signs of the work of the Holy Spirit.
Do you want the gospel of Christ to be confirmed as active in your life?
Be intentional about growing your faith in Christ.
Read your Bible, systematically.
Pray regularly.
Deliberately, intentionally take time to be still, to hear what God is saying.
Be consistent in fellowship.
Step out and as a step of faith get involved in ministry.
Faith that works in times of trouble requires intentional effort.
God will confirm that his message is active in your life as the Holy Spirit empowers you.
[1] Evans, L. H., Jr, & Ogilvie, L. J. (1985). Hebrews. The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Vol. 33, pp. 66–67). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.