Sermon: The Danger of Drifting

Right. Let's take a moment and pray for God's word before. We open it together.

Father we are in need this morning. We are in need. Of not just physical food, but we are in need of spiritual food for our souls. And so we pray that you would bless us this morning with the bread of life. We would thirst from the Everlasting Waters. That we would find that you are nourishing and feeding us. Would you help us be like beggars? We're crying out and with famished Souls asking for you just to give us a morsel.

truly, we don't know how feminist our souls or if we did surely we would cry out more readily for that Bread of Heaven but we cry out with all that we do know this morning and pray that you would dispense your grace to us that you would feed us nourish our souls Lift us up on high to where we may see you in the person of Christ. And help us to know that we have been fed by you this morning and returned to you with Thanksgiving.

We pray this in the strong name of Christ Jesus our lord our savior. amen Hebrews chapter 2 verses 1 through 4. This is the holy inherent sufficient word of God. Therefore we must pay much closer attention. to what we have heard lest we drift away from it. 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.

It was declared at first by the Lord. And it was attested To Us by those who heard. What God also bore Witness by signs and wonders and various miracles? and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will the grass withers and the flower Fades word of God is forever. Thanks be to God. amen

As we go through the book of Hebrews here. We are going to see that there are five warning passages. And this is the first of those warning passages. These are real warnings. These are warnings that we need to heed. But as we will discuss in more detail as we get into some of these stronger sections of Hebrews, the scriptures are clear that the Christian is eternally secure in Christ. if you have true faith in Christ you will persevere to the end.

Why? Because Christ has us. Christ has you if your faith is truly in him. Jesus said I know my own and my own no me even as I know the father and the father knows me I give them eternal life and they will never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand. I am the father or one he could not be more clear.

If your faith is truly in Christ. You cannot be lost. He holds you. But it's also clear that you and I are to Heed These Warnings. We are to make sure that we continue to pursue Christ even as we trust him to hold us because those who know Christ persevere in Christ. And so these warnings are very real. They are a wake-up call not to take things for granted not to treat things as casual. But rather to continue to pursue Christ.

To continue to seek after him. None of us not me. Not you. Are Beyond These Warnings and here we have our very first warning in this book of Hebrews. Therefore. We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard lest we drift away from it. That's the warning. That's the exhortation. The word drifts there is a maritime word and it refers to a boat that has been taken away from its Moorings. It has been taken off course. It's floating away

from its intended destination. The word for pay attention. It's in the present tense and the Greek there and so it has the idea of something that is to be continual. It never stops. You are to pay attention and keep paying attention. Keep on keep on paying attention so you don't drift. that is he's saying to those who have confessed Christ is essential that we not Drift from Christ, but we continue to continue to continue to be

Anchored In Christ

CS Lewis has I found been quoted in almost every modern day commentator who is commenting upon this passage because He probably said it as well or better than anyone when he wrote in Mere Christianity. He said this he said we have to be continually reminded of what we believe. If you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by Honest argument.

Do not most people simply Drift Away.

And I would say by. My experience as a pastor who has pastored now over the course of my pastor thousands of people. But there's not even a comparison. by four and away those who once professed faith in Christ and then wandered away from Christ and are now denying Christ. Almost to a person. They simply just drifted away.

this little by live their affections were no longer quite as hot for Christ. Just a little lukewarm. And then eventually cold.

This is my experience. Remember? being in college and so many fellow college students when I came to saving faith in college my freshman year there were so many that were alongside of me and I counted as a brother or sister in Christ, and they Seem to have incredible Zeal for Christ. passion for Christ and now I look at them. decades later and they no longer claim Christ. Was actually LED this weekend to one of them to their website. They have

a business. It was a dear friend of mine who confessed Christ with me, but now runs an entire business around discovering each person's individual truth.

And this person helps them find their individual Truth by quote searching for a word within themselves.

This was a friend. who I went to church with Who we would witness to people with? Who believe that truth was not found inside but was found out of us by looking at the Sovereign God Of Heaven and Earth. And now is running a business. not pointing people outside of themselves to find truth, but helping them each discover their own personal Truth by how by looking in the darkness Within what a dead and foolish Road. It's nonsense.

It's a hopeless dead end Journey. On the website this person says I will help you find your One Word Within. That becomes your true north star.

I've seen it with members of every congregation. I've served including this one. Just a little drift day after day month after month. It comes a life off its Eternal cores. So the writer of Hebrews is saying to you you

and me Be warned. Be warned.

He provides. A well-known biblical argument he uses what we often will will see it various times throughout the scriptures and arguments called from the luster to the greater. He's going to argue from the Lesser thing to the greater thing. He begins at the Lesser. Angels declared a message as we saw last week these angels declared a message. What was that message? It was the law that was given to the nation of Israel. And he's

saying that law it was reliable. It was true. It could be trusted and you knew it could be trusted. You knew was true because Angels declared it. And he says every breaking of that law resulted in retribution quote as the writer says, that's the Lesser. His question then is this how much greater is the condemnation if we neglect this great salvation? What great salvation the message of Christ? if that lesser incurred judgment

How much more will be the Judgment for this greater salvation if we neglect it? And now why is the gospel greater? That's a good question because this great salvation this gospel. He argues was not declared By Angels, but it was declared by even greater and more numerous Witnesses and he's going to give us four. four Witnesses first witness of this greater salvation is the very Son of God. Christ the lord declared the gospel.

And how much more reliable is this word than that, which was given by Angels. He said to come to me all you who are weary heavy laden and I will give you rest. He said I am the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the father except through me. He said I laid down my life for the Sheep. He lived for sinners. He was beaten and he was bruised and he was subjected to a trial and he was eventually hung upon the cross where

he bore the very Wrath of his father and he died in atoning death. for sinners that he was buried. for sinners and it was raised on the third day and he ascended to the right hand of the father for sinner. He declared this gospel truth this great salvation with his mouth. And he declared it with his life. That's the first Witness.

the second we also have the words of other Witnesses I Witnesses or if you Will bear with me making something up Ear Witnesses here that he is citing those who heard Christ even as they saw him. He says in verse 3 and it was a tested to you by those who heard Luke will go out of the way in his gospel at the very beginning when he's writing to Theophilus. He will say look I went around and I interviewed all kinds of eyewitnesses people that had heard and

seen Jesus and he said I sought to put together in orderly account so that you would know who this Jesus was and what he had done. I Witnesses Paul and First Corinthians, 15 will say this for I delivered to you as a first importance what I also received. That Christ died for our sins and according to the scriptures that he was buried that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures and that he appeared to cephas then

to the twelve then he appeared to more than 500 Brothers at one time. Most of whom are still alive. He's making it clear. This gospel that I received this great salvation that I'm telling you about. There are all kinds of us that witnessed it. In fact, there are 500 that he appeared to at what more than one time and most of them are still alive. What's he doing? He said I'm challenging you go ask him if you want to. I Witnesses

let alone the apostles themselves. They were witnesses to this gospel truth. You think about the 11 remaining disciples? They saw Christ. They heard Christ. And then they denied Christ. And yet all of them will go out preaching Christ. They fearfully abandoned him when he was put on trial of trial and they fearfully abandoned him when he was crucified upon that cross. They all abandoned him and yet each of them. Become Witnesses testifying to the truth of

Christ later. Why the change? Why do they change from those that had abandoned him in fear and now they're proclaiming him? you say well the they must have gained something from it. It not one of them became rich not one of them gained status not one of them garnered possessions. Not one of them will be celebrated in their lifetime all of them all of them with the exception of the Apostle. John will be killed for their

testimony regarding this great salvation in Christ Jesus why this abrupt change in their behavior? Truly from a human perspective an Earthly perspective. They lost everything and they gained nothing. Why did they change?

Because they hurt him. Because they saw him. raised from the grave and so they witnessed about him. They had to tell other.

third the writer says God also bore Witness by signs and wonders and various Miracles when the apostles went out with this great news of Salvation in Christ Jesus God attested to them just like he had tested to Jesus's words when Jesus went out you remember Peter on that day at Pentecost. He's preaching to all the Jews that are gathered there and he will say these words men of Israel hear these words Jesus of Nazareth a

man attested to you by God with Mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst as you yourselves know. It is God. The father was a testing to them. That when Jesus changed the water into wine when he walked upon the sea when he healed the leper when he even raised Lazarus from the grave, it was allowed thundering from Heaven by these Miracles that what my son is saying is true. true and so we did the same for the apostles.

The healing of the lame beggar in Acts 3 the signs and wonders in Acts 5 the healings in Acts 8 dorkus being raised to life in Acts 9 and on we could go each Miracle lines up. If you will as a witness after witness before the tribunals of our mind saying over and over and over again this great salvation you or hearing is true It's true.

God the Father witnesses to its truthfulness. fourth he says in verse 4 the gifts of the holy spirit distributed according to his will also serve as Witnesses jesus' testified. The son is testified. The father has testified and now the Spirit by the gifts that he is given to the body of Christ's testifies that this is true. Every Christian is gifted by the Holy Spirit. When you come to saving faith in Christ, you are gifted with

gifts by the holy spirit for the building up of the body. And so whether it is preaching or whether it is teaching or whether it is Administration or helps or Mercy or faith or prayer or exhortation or service what ever those gifts are and we could go on. each of them our testimony from the Holy Spirit to each of us. that this is true

So the writer is bringing all of these witnesses to bear.

To that you and I recognize the great great danger of drifting from this truth. You see if we drift from this truth and we're counting the witness of the spirit the witness of the Apostles the witness of jesus' generation the witness of the father and ultimately the witness of Christ himself as unreliable. We're saying it's not trustworthy. And he's saying look not trusting the reliableness of the testimony of the Angels was worthy

of Retribution. How much more so if you deny this Witness

And thus the admonition. we must he says we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard. Less we drift away. from it

I want to close with just warning you about three of the most common drifting dangers. I've observed. So aren't the only ones there are others at least from my perspective my vantage point. Pastoring people over the years. These are the three. That are most common. first you and I are in danger of drifting when we are distracted. When we're distracted. Demas is of course example a in the scriptures Demas a man who pull coals

a fellow worker in the ministry of the Gospel in Colossians and Philemon. He is part of the Inner Circle. He was clearly passionate about gospel Ministry. He was out with Paul of all people ministering and yet Paul will say and second Timothy Demas and love with this President world has deserted me. And gone to thessalonica. What happened? The demons just wake up one day and all of a sudden decide. I'm just done with Christ.

I seriously doubt it. It's just a little bit a small movement and as affections. over time more and more just goes from passionate to lukewarm eventually to cold and dead.

So how do we combat distraction? We live a life of focus. Focus avoids distraction

It's not a platitude remind one another to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Be distracted. Now what you're looking for?

And only thought about this this morning those recalling the story to a couple of our elders. And I thought oh the perfect illustration.

You might have seen it this week. I'd seen it before and it's making its rounds again this week after Queen Elizabeth died, but were her bodyguard is recounting a story of her. He tells the story from years ago where he and the queen were out hiking in the mountains of Scotland and there were two Americans that stumbled across their path and he said the two Americans did not recognize her and started conversing with them and

we're asking different questions and the Americans, you know started telling them where they were from in the states, and he said I could see it coming. He said one of the Americans said so where do you live?

And the queen said well, I spend most of my time in London, but my family also has a house up here in Scotland. and and the one of the Americans said well, how long have you been coming up here to Scotland? And she said oh Since I was a small child. and one of the Americans said well, I'm told the queen has a place that's up near here. And the bodyguards that I could see it coming and the American said have you ever been introduced to the queen?

and the queen said I haven't been introduced to her per se. But he has pointing to her. bodyguard and the Americans got very excited and said well to The Bodyguard what is she like and he said well Sometimes she's contankerous, but she has a great sense of humor.

So after they Converse for a while the American said can we get our picture taken with you? And they get the camera to the queen and ask the pose with The Bodyguard and so she takes their picture and The Bodyguard then hands the camera takes the camera from her says I think I should also take your picture with her and they say oh great. That would be great. So they take a picture and then they're walking away and the queen said that The Bodyguard like I wish

I could be a fly on the wall when they get back to American so they're pictures to their friends.

Just distracted didn't. Didn't know what they were looking for. And didn't know it when they'd seen it. It'd be looking for Christ.

focused on Christ looking for Christ everywhere. You can find him. He's the Morning Star scripture say and anything else before your eyes is a distraction.

Notice as emphasis In this passage. It's upon the word that we receive we must pay closer attention to what we have heard that can't be escaped. So, let's be let's be brass tax practical here. If you are not in the word and prayer every day you're drifting.

That's where you see Christ. You need to be in the word every day. It's in the word that he meets with us. It's not an accident that by my experience almost every single person that I've approached and I pursue people that have left the church. They you know, they begin missing once a month and then begin missing twice a month and then they begin making it once every couple of months and then all of a sudden they're not here for a

quarter and they're just drifting away and I will approach them and if they will allow me I'll sit down with them and I always ask the same question. When they say, you know what? I just don't know that I actually believe in Christ anymore. You know what I don't believe in Christ anymore. I say tell me how long ago was it that you stopped reading the Bible and prayed? And it's always months and months and months before

they drifted.

It is not legalism. Maintain a daily quiet time. It's life. It's not just old time religion that says we need to be a people of the word and prayer. It's all time religion. It is your religion to the day that Christ comes back and when he comes back to you know, what you will do in eternity. You will be conversing with him in prayer and you will be caught up with his word as you were looking upon him. It's the life of the Christian.

We need to continually be looking to Christ and you meet Christ by his means in his word and prayer.

Be focused. second you and I are in danger of drifting when we are marked by formality. It's easy to begin going through the motions as a Christian. So simply Bible reading and prayer doesn't correct all we aren't simply seeking to check a box. So how do we combat this danger formality? Well, we live a life of Engagement you and I must engage Your mind is to be engaged. Know what you believe and why you believe it. You have to keep seeking to grow in

your understanding of Christ and what the scriptures teach of this great salvation. You have to keep growing in it reading and reading and growing and seeking to understanding Plumbing The Depths you never graduate from the school of Christ. Never. You'll be learning for all of eternity in the school of Christ. You can't ever think you've arrived. And so you seek to grow in your understanding. What is it that I actually believe?

And why is it that I believe that? You can never Plumb the depths. But it's not enough just to stay with the mind. It's true septic grip your heart. Affections have to be stirred.

You Delight in this Christ?

So often is said in church history. The furthest distance in the universe is between the mind and the Heart. Get what is here. here

has to be your continual my continual Pursuit. Jesus say in Matthew 15 about the Pharisees as people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. You can sing these songs. We can pray these prayers we can listen to these sermons this sermon even now we can serve in the nursery. We can even share the gospel with people and still be drifting away from Christ.

So do you check to see if your heart is regularly engaged?

you check

to use this Maritime analogy imagine you were on a cruise ship family decided to go on a cruise and you're on a cruise ship and the cruise ship goes down and you find yourself in the water and you find a raft and you get yourself on that raft. And then you look 50 yards out. And there's your family. You see your spouse. your children your brother your sister your parents. They're 50 yards out and all of a sudden you realize the current is taking

you and that raft away from all that you love and all that you hold dear. What would you do?

You'd put that ore in the water and you would start paddling as hard as you can. And while you're paddling as hard as you can you would be offering up every prayer above saying Lord Jesus help me to get the help me to get there help me to get there help me to get there.

used to be your greatest love and you and I find ourselves drifting weird to make every effort. And we are to offer every prayer.

Stop me from drifting.

often thought about that passage and Genesis where Jacob is that penuel and there in the night he is wrestling with God. And he refuses to let God go unless he blesses them.

I've done this. My heart is just dry. And I feel like there is nothing I am passionate about in regards to Christ and I am on my knees and pleading with him and praying just give me some blessing that I might Delight in Christ somewhere. I will not let you go. Until you bless me.

pray that way labor that way

leads to last this morning the danger of being unintentional.

Christian Life is one of intentionality. Listen to Paul in first Timothy. But as for you o man of God flee these things pursue righteousness godliness Faith love steadfastness gentleness fight the good fight to Faith take hold of eternal life to which you were called pursue fight labor strive. You have these words over and over throughout the New Testament words that are spoken about the Christian Life. There's effort.

as a faulty view of the Christian Life that believes that that being unstructured and unplanned is equal to Godliness is somehow spontaneity Trump structure, but our God is a god of order. Now we already addressed formality. That's a current that can lead us to drift and can lead us away from Christ. But so can living unintentionally.

It seems like there are a lot of us that are living unintentionally.

You and I need way more. Little points along the journey that we just know that ah, I'm still on the path. I'm still flowing in the right direction I haven't drifted too far off course.

You set goals for your spiritual life?

You have check-in points. yearly quarterly monthly this is supposed to be one weekly.

It's a good counter to drifting. Actual goals that you set before yourself. I want to memorize these verses. I want to share the gospel with this many people this week. I want to put to death this sin. I want to grow in this fruit of the spirit. I want to extend Hospitality this many families over this semester. I want to read through the Bible this year now, it can be formalism. It can be legalism, but it can also be the means by which you stay on course.

It's just how you approach it. It's just how your heart is engaged with it.

So much. Of drifting is competited by living intentionally.

and let me just say this because he highlights it here in the text and closing that much of that intentional living is living a life or others the body he says the gifts of the Spirit testify to us. Is one of the reasons that it's so important that you are here. You have to be here. You have to be engaged with the people that are here. now listen, if you can't engage with the people at Universal Reformed Church, if you can't get engaged

here where it's life on life where we're bringing our gifts to Bear upon one, or if you can't do that then leave and find a church where the Bible is proclaimed and you can engage Because you need it.

So this to you before say it again, we've been saved not only unto God we've been saved unto one another. We need each other.

We're here the person with the gift of prayer praise. With the writer of Hebrews is saying is as that person with the gift of prayer praise. We're testified to once again that this is true. That when the person with the gift of hospitality greets us as we walk through the door or invites us over to their house for lunch and we sup with them and we eat with them and we fellowship with them as they bear that gift of hospitality upon our soul. We

hear God declare. This is true. when you're out here in the hallways and you're talking with people afterwards, and it's a person that has the gift of faith and you can just since it and Feel It by the way that they talk and they speak and they encourage you God is testifying to you that this is true. When the person with the get the preaching stands up here and proclaims you it's not just the word that is going out. But the spirit by

the gift that he is given that man is testifying to you that this is true.

God is saying over and over and over by the gifts that he has given to us for one another he is declaring with a loud voice this you must continue to believe because it is true.

Which means you have to engage other people. If engage people for the good of your own soul.

and we often sing that him about the Piece of coal that's removed from the fire and sat on the Hearth and we sing I it burns for some time, but eventually it loses its warmth.

I've watched this you've watched this. What someone that is here weaken and weak out and they're engaged and then all of a sudden you watch some kind of retreat into the background. They're no longer serving. And then a sudden up they miss a Sunday month. and then all of a sudden you realize oh, they're missing a Sunday every six weeks and then you realize up they Are missing every couple of months. And they're gone.

15 gauge

Jage one another and this is what I find. So incredibly fascinating and interesting to me is that God has worked straight. It's so that when we are focused on other serving others looking outside what I need what I want with this church or person or Ministry can do for me that then when my faith and my soul or actually encourage and I'm prevented and corrected from drifting so fascinating almost like he orchestrates this.

Been given a great salvation.

great salvation to have a great Christ.

Is testified to it through his own lips through his life the father's testified to it. The Holy Spirit has testified to it. The apostles have testified to it common. Lay people who are eyewitnesses have testified to it. And so he says to you and I we must pay closer attention. unless we drift away from us right

Father we are thankful for so great to Salvation.

We're thankful for the testimony that you have given us so that we need not doubt.

Truly, we will accept things on the evidence of two or more witnesses. And here we have the evidence. in the witness of a father who cannot lie a son who is perfect and the spirit who indwells us. apostles who gave their lives

How could we ever doubt so great to Salvation? Grant us the grace to cling to it with all of our heart soul mind and strength.

Lest we drift. We pray this in the strong name of Christ. amen