The Dangers Of Christian Drifting Series

Sermon Brief

Date Written: June 5, 2006 revised on May 29, 2008

Date last preached: June 01, 2008

Where Preached: OPBC (AM)

Sermon Details:

Series Title: Our Great Savior!

Sermon Title: The Dangers of Christian Drifting!

Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:1-4 READ PASSAGES HERE

So let’s read our passage at this time… read passage here…

1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,

3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, 4 God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Heb 2:1-4 (NASB)

Introduction:

In our world today we have ‘warning signs’ posted in almost every area of our lives…

• When we come to a intersection there is a sign to let us know…

• When a stop is coming up there are signs that tell us to stop…

• When we entering the interstate… we have yield signs…

• When dangerous chemicals are present… we see the bio-hazard signs…

• Warning signs that post land are put there to WARN people about trespassing on someone else’s land…

• We have warning labels on our medicines…

• If you smoke, there is a warning label on the side of your cigarettes…

We are a society that is filled with warning signs… but WHY? Why do we have SO many warning signs in our society? It is to keep us safe… or at least TRY to keep us safe…

Well just like the warning signs that we see today on our roads, on our medicine… and on so many other things in our society… God has posted warning signs along the road of life so that the believer can avoid danger…

In fact, the book of Hebrews is filled with some of these ‘danger signs’… in our passage tonight the writer of Hebrews speaks about negligence in our Christian walk…

• In chapter 3 God warns us about disobedience in our walk with Christ…

• In chapter 5 God warns us about deserting our walk with Christ…

• In chapter 10 God warns us about rebelling against Him and in our walk with Christ…

• In chapter 12 God warns us about worldliness and the dangers that lie in clinging to the world…

• In chapter 12 as well God warns us about our unwillingness to hear and listen to God… about us IGNORING God’s call on your life!

But this morning I want us to look at chapter 2:1-4 where the writer of Hebrews thru the inspiration of the H.S. warns believers about drifting away from God…

And in this 1st warning issued the writer says, …so that we do not drift away… the verb ‘drift’ here is the Greek word  (par-ah-eh-oh) which is a combination of 2 Greek words…  (par-ah) which means from beside or from the side of…And the other Greek word that forms this verb is… (rhe-oh) which means to flow…

Together they form this verb that represents word picture in the mind that seems to be that of allowing the current to carry one away from a fixed point of safety… through carelessness or unconcern…

In other words, we can see that the writer was saying, ‘Because what we have heard is the Gospel of Jesus Christ [and in chapter 1 Jesus is established as far superior to the angels… because we have heard the Gospel of Christ… we need to pay strict attention to it and adhere to its teachings!’

He is inferring here that there were those among the church there who instead of keeping a firm grip on the teaching of truth and holding fast to the Word of God… they had allowed themselves to drift away thru a careless attitude and an apathetic behavior on their part… This apathy and carelessness is reckless for the believer and it reveals a terrible lack of concern about their walk with Christ!

So this morning I want to address 4 specific items that deal with the Christian and the subject of a Christian drifting away from their relationship [that salvation] with God! This morning I want to share with you…

1. The reality that Christians can drift from their walk with Christ!

2. The reason that Christians are drifting from their walk with Christ!

3. The result of any Christian drifting…and finally

4. The remedy FOR Christian drifting…

But to begin with I want us to stay in verse one right now and I want us to take another look at the phrase “…so that we do not drift away…” First of all we need to understand that because the writer has been inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about believers drifting away from Christ…that there must have been an issue or problem with this in that time…Let’s look at…