WHAT MUST I DO? GUARD YOUR HEART
HEBREWS 2:1-3
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? (Hebrews 2:1-3a)
INTRO:
We MUST pay more careful attention … so that we do not drift away.
Drifting down the Flint River … how did I get here!?
There is a small and tranquil river in Oklahoma called the Flint River. My family used to camp there. The water was shallow and calm and we kids could play while mom and dad watched without too much concern. The problem was that not too far downstream the Flint runs into the Illinois River and then you have strong currents, deeper water, and white water rafting.
The relative safety of the river took away any sense of urgency or sobriety that I, as a young lad, might have had otherwise. I didn’t even know the Illinois River existed! Long story short: I found myself playing on an inner tube with mom and dad distracted by the needs of the four younger kids. It wasn’t long until I was wondering “Where am I and how did I get here?!” Nothing looked the same; I had floated away from the camp.
There was another public access a small ways down the river that those wanting to white water raft could put into and quickly be at the Illinois. As I floated by with an ever-increasing sense of lostness, I found my dad standing at the access waiting for me. I was never in any real danger – my dad saw what was happening very early but, without the watchful eye and love of dad, I was indeed headed to greater danger … all because I drifted inattentively.
It is easy to drift inattentively; not only down a lazy comfortable river but in other ways too.
• Relationships fall apart because we don’t work at them.
• A beautiful garden is destroyed by indifference
• A house crumbles around you through inattention
• If you are in business you don’t need to be verbally abusive to your customers to kill it, simple neglect is enough
People find it hard to understand that simply doing nothing is as dangerous in the spiritual realm as it is in other arenas of life but it is. In fact, “drifting” may be our most dangerous enemy. Most believers do not engage in active opposition like resisting, rejecting or rebelling against God’s will; we merely become passive and neglect it. However, neglect / drifting can be as disastrous as open defiance. You don’t need to commit “great sins” to destroy your soul. Simple neglect will do it just as efficiently.
Indifference kills.
Life’s river is full of currents, any one of which will sweep us past safety even when we seem nearest to it. Any one will carry us into dangerous water. It is the drift that ruins us.
Hebrews is specifically addressing drifts like
• The drift of religious activity (Judaism in this case)
• The drift of old habits and associations
• The drift of one’s own evil nature
• The drift of temptation
It is so easy, and so pleasant, to drift; to lie back, relax, and let yourself go wherever the waters will carry you. Any dead fish can go with the stream! All that we need to do to end up in hell is to neglect to be saved. And all we need to do to end up in ruin is neglect to follow God’s instruction as given in his Word.
In Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Hebrews we discover a three-step process that happens when we neglect God’s Word. These “Three Steps to Danger” are:
• Drifting from the Word (2:1-4)
• Which leads to Doubting the Word (3:7-4:13)
• And before long we are Dull towards the Word (5:11-6:20)
The writer says, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”
You see, Great Salvation brings the danger of Great Neglect!
At first, we are thankful to be saved; we attend the Church services; we know the wonder of the gospel and the great cost of our salvation; we are overwhelmed by the extent of God’s love, mercy and grace.
But gradually something changes.
We can get so taken up with the things of this world and making our life comfortable, that our love for the Lord cools. Soon we aren’t spending time with our Lord in prayer, studying or meditating upon the scriptures. Remembering the Lord at the Breaking of Bread; having fellowship with other believers, serving the Lord who died for us, or telling others of His saving grace.
An old Pastor once said “Warning comes before destruction.” What he was saying is that before God sends down a judgment against his people He always sends a warning. I believe that. I believe God sends us warnings when we start drifting away from Him. I believe that God, like my dad, can be found on the bank giving warning and inviting us to draw near to him. There are all kinds of warning signs.
• Loss of Focus - Your heart changes from the things of God to the things of this world.
• Loss of Priorities - You are more concerned about yourself than others
• Loss of Passion - You no longer have a passionate love for God or His word
• Loss of Discipline – You take the path of least resistance and your lifestyle loses its sacredness
• Loss of Commitment - Your church attendance becomes less important to you
This rarely happens all of a sudden, it happens as we slowly drift.
Hebrews catalogs the consequences of drifting like this:
1) Unwillingness to come clean with sin (3:12-14)
2) Loss of appetite for the word of God (5:11 – 6:3)
3) Failure to attend the gatherings of God’s people (10:19-31)
4) Willingness to let relationships deteriorate (12:14 – 13:1)
WRAP-UP
So the question is: … “Are you floating or paddling?”
F.B. Meyer once said, “Are you drifting? You can easily tell. Are you conscious of effort, of daily, hourly resistance to the stream around you, and within? Do the things of God and heaven loom more clearly on your vision? Do the waters foam angrily at your prow as you force your way through them? If so, rejoice! But remember that only divine strength can suffice to maintain the conflict, and keep the boat’s head against the stream. If not, you are drifting. Hail the strong Son of God! Ask him to come on board, and stay you, and bring you into port.”
If God will judge unbelievers for neglect, how much more will He chasten believers? We know the wonder of the gospel and the great cost of our salvation. We know the extent of God’s love, mercy and grace. May we never drift so that our usefulness to God and our Christian testimony is shipwrecked.
“We MUST pay more careful attention … so that we do not drift away.”
Now here’s the good news … you do not have to drift!
Remember: WHAT GOD’S WORD SAYS YOU MUST DO HE KNOWS YOU CAN DO!
Do you know how you prevent drift?
The answer is found in the anchor. As Christians we have an anchor; Jesus Christ. Hebrews 6:19 says “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
To avoid spiritual drift your hope must be firmly anchored in Christ alone. You must diligently look to your soul’s well-being. You must not take it for granted or assume everything will remain ok between you and the Savior.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”
If you find yourself looking around and saying: “What Happened?! How did I get here!?” Then I have good news for you. Your Heavenly Father is standing on the river bank inviting you to draw near to Him.
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:22-23)
“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3)
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** Special thanks to Stephen Wright of Aughton Park Baptist Church, Liverpool, England and Rev. Doug Gilford of Mandeville, LA. for their insights on drifting.
This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene
Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
