Drifting – A Candid Look At Spiritual Entropy Series

Drifting – A Candid Look at Spiritual Entropy

July 17, 2005 Hebrews 2:1

INTRO: Entropy = the tendency for things to come to a stop. “All kinds of energy spontaneously spread out from where they are concentrated to where they are more dispersed, if they’re not hindered from doing so.”

• 2nd Law of Thermodynamics – applies to sun, to your car, everything moving from order to disorder. Unless hindered

• True of spiritual life as well. Especially in these last days.

Jesus said, in the last days…

MT 24:10 …many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold (spiritual entropy), 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

• Why the strong influences to drift away? What is going on?

• How is it that the fire that once burned hot begins to cool?

A few observations about - Drifting is…

SUBTLE – no big changes – little by little – Frog in the kettle

UNINTENTIONAL – never planned or purposed

“I’m just going to start drifting away now…”

GRADUAL – you never seem that far away – “…guess who moved?”

CARELESS – must handle spiritual life carefully – prayer…

I wanted to spend some time teaching on this subject because we all have a tendency to drift – Unless hindered from doing so

TEXT: HEB 2:1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore,

to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

We’ve heard the truth – embraced it – it hasn’t changed – we have!

• Maybe we’re no longer paying attention!

• “…must pay more careful attention,…”

o Drifting speaks of diverted attention

o Drawn away from the truth – distracted by things of this world.

ILLUS: Slipping away – “evaporated” – if don’t give heed – vanish thin air

• drifting = bucket with hole in it – gospel truth in faulty vessels

• The picture is of a boat that has slipped its moorings – drifted away. – carelessness.

Jesus said in Luke 21:34

"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.

TEXT - …therefore, to what we have heard,…

You and I have heard the truth!

• But does it have same importance as once did?

• The truth in chapter one shows the supremacy of Christ in all things!

• Once we were captivated by that message

• We must return our focus to the important things in this life!

I want to challenge us all to renewed spiritual vigor – over next several weeks as we explore This whole dynamic of Spiritual Entropy – drifting

There are some very basic things we must understand first…

1. We live in a world that resists the Christian life in it’s very nature.

When sin entered the human condition – resistance entered – 1st physical!

GE 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

GE 3:17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,’ "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

GE 3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

GE 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."

• Thorns, animals, pain - in child bearing, sweat of brow.

Before born again – in step with the fallen nature of the world

• When born again – new nature was in conflict with the world.

RO 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.n For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.

• Conflict is in you now – notice because of new nature

• Now you go against the flow – salmon upstream – dead downstream.

RO 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mindn is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.