Sermon Central
-
Stick With Jesus Series
Contributed by E. True Neilson on Dec 16, 2014 (message contributor)
Summary: The book of Hebrews is all about Jesus!
SIMPLY JESUS
STICK WITH JESUS
INTRODUCTION
-My Grandfather was in the Navy in World War 2
-My dad was in the Navy in Vietnam. He brought his best Navy buddy home on leave, he married his sister, so my uncle is a Navy
-And there was one thing that my dad and my grandpa and my uncle loved…was getting back out into the sea.
-We’d go salmon fishing, crabbing, and halibut fishing out in the big pond. Out to the chicken ranch if you know where that is.
-And on one particular day we are out salmon fishing and the engine on our boat just died. Shut down.
-We were far away from land and the way the tides were running we were drifting farther and farther out to sea.
-My dad and uncle got into the engine and tried to fix the problem, but no matter what they did it just wouldn’t start.
-So my dad was forced to make the decision that no Navy man ever wants to make…he had to call the Coast Guard!
-The only alternative was to drift out to sea and be lost…and I think he actually considered that as an option.
-In chapter 6 of Hebrews Jesus is called “the anchor of our souls.”
-And it’s not a coincidence. One of the themes developed early in Hebrews is the warning not to drift away.
-Our passage today, Hebrews 2:1-4 is reminder to those of us who know Jesus to remain firmly fastened to our anchor.
-But it’s also a challenge for us to go after people who are drifting.
CAN CHRISTIANS REALLY DRIFT AWAY? (VERSE 1)
2:1 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.
-The warning here is simple; don’t drift away from Christ. There is a lot of discussion among the big brain Christians about this.
-Can Christians drift away from Jesus?
-Can Christians fall away, turn their backs, or stray from Jesus?
-Can we forfeit what we have in Christ?
-This is an easy question to answer. The answer is “yes”.
-Why would the Bible warn us not to drift away if it were impossible to drift away?
-That’s like telling your teenagers, no matter what you do, don’t text people while joy riding in a stolen…spaceship.
-THE BIBLE DOESN’T WARN US ABOUT THINGS THAT CAN’T HAPPEN!
-The minute that we accept this warning in Hebrews, some people freak out and go to doctrinal extremes.
-Some people say you’re questioning the Sovereignty of God!
-Other people panic…we’re all going to lose our salvation.
-I’m not teaching either of these extreme positions today.
-I’m simply accepting at face value what the Bible clearly says.
-Don’t drift away. However it happens, whatever you think it means, whatever the consequences…our warning is don’t do it!
DRIFT AWAY (PARARRHUEO): TO ESCAPE, SLIP YOUR MIND, BE CARRIED AWAY.
-The word drifting in the original language paints a disastrous picture for us.
-It’s used to describe something that escaped.
-This word is used to describe something that slipped your mind.
-It’s used to describe something that has been carried away.
-It pictures a ship that missing a harbor because the wind and currents were too strong to stop.
-And its heart wrenching to envision someone who received the Good News about Jesus, which is the best news you could have, and then lets its slip away.
-A few years ago I was with my parents at a Blazer game.
-As we were driving their my mom began her hand lotion routine.
-She took off her wedding ring and her anniversary ring and set them on her lap, and then proceeded to put on lotion.
-I guess she doesn’t want lotion all over her rings! Girl thing.
-At halftime she realized that she didn’t have her rings on.
-She had last seen them on her lap, before she exited the car.
-So we ran back hoping that several thousand dollar rings were still there. My mother’s anxiety level was very high as she thought about losing those very valuable and highly sentimental rings.
-And we found them on the pavement next to the car.
-Imagine if those rings had slipped away! The feeling of loss.
-That’s how we should respond to the thought of a Christian brother or sister drifting away.
-It’s unbearable to think about a believer slowly abandoning Jesus
-What are they drifting away from specifically?
-Some Bibles say “what we have heard” mine says “the truth.”
-They are drifting away from the Good News message, the message of salvation spoken by God’s Son, Jesus Christ.
-He’s referring back to his opening statement in chapter 1:2
-He’s warning us not to drift from the message God son has spoken to those of us in the last days.
