Lest We Drift Away (Heb2:1-4)
I. REASONS FOR THIS.
A. THE REAL DANGER OF "DRIFTING"...
1. We "drift away" from God!
a. We can certainly "neglect" our salvation - He 2:3
2. We "drift away" from Friends!
3. We "drift away" from the Saints!
4. We "drift away" from the Word!
The danger of "drifting" is very real danger!
B. WHAT HAPPENS IF WE "DRIFT AWAY"...
1. We lose "the joy of our salvation"! - He 2:3
2. It is a "great salvation", because it offers such things as:
a. The forgiveness of sin
b. Transformation of character by providing power over sin
c. Assurance of God's fatherly presence
d. A clear and peaceful conscience
e. A glorious hope for eternity
-- Dare we lose all this through "neglect"?
II. "CURRENTS" THAT CAN CAUSE US TO DRIFT
A. THE CURRENT OF "TIME"...
1. (Ga 6:9) And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
2. As time passes by...
a. We can gradually lose some of the fervor of our devotion
(Re 2:4) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
b. We may begin to rest on past accomplishments, and cease pressing forward -
(Php 3:13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do,
forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
v.14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus
.
B. THE CURRENT OF "FAMILIARITY"...
1. As we become familiar with the truth, it may seem common place to us
a. We may lose its sense of novelty
b. We may take it for granted
2. Like the Ephesans we may lose our "first love"
C. THE CURRENT OF "SOCIETY"...
1. The tides of modern opinion can easily induce us -
(1Co 15:33) Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
2. Bombarded by the secular humanism, false religions, and
even plastic "Christianity" offered as "truth", it is hard to maintain the course!
3. Such things can move us away from the simplicity and wisdom of our Lord! - e.g.,
(2Co 11:2) For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. v3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
D. THE CURRENT OF "THE FLESH"...
1. Our warfare is not only without, but also within -
(1Pe 2:11) Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
2. Our flesh is constantly waging war against our souls, and
against the Spirit who desires that we follow Him -
E. THE CURRENT OF "DAILY CONCERNS"...
1. The constant pressure of daily cares, anxieties, duties, etc., can distract us
2. Jesus warned against this on several occasions -
(Lu 21:34) And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
III. THE KEY TO PREVENT "DRIFTING AWAY"
A. WE MUST GIVE "THE MORE EARNEST HEED"...
ILL. (waterfall)
1. Imagine yourself in a canoe, in a river with a slow moving
current...
a. Failure to pay constant attention leads to drifting
b. The drifting may be subtle, but often by the time you realize it, it is too late!
c. Last minute corrections may be made, but even then one may
still run into the brush, crash into the rocks, or go over the falls!
-- Only by giving earnest heed can that be avoided
2. So it is with our salvation!
a. We must be "diligent" to the task at hand - cf. 2 Pe 1:5,10
b. There is no place to be half-hearted about this! -
(Php 3:13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, v.14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
3. Note that we must give the "more" earnest heed
a. We are to be more earnest than those who heard the word