Danger In The Drift

I. Drifting – Hebrews 2:1 – (lest happily we drift away from them)

a. Drifting requires no effort

1. Just stop oaring (working)

2. We ought to give the most earnest heed

b. Drifting can be an unconscious process

1. It is possible to drift unaware

2. When a Christian begins to drift it starts slowly

3. Some Churches have drifted into error only one day to find themselves far removed from the Bible

c. Drifting never takes you upstream

1. You always go down –never get closer to God

2. Faithfulness to the Lord requires oaring

- You must be constantly be adding to your faith

- II Peter 1:5-7 “ [5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge. [6] And to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, Godliness. [7] And to Godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity.”

- You must continue to grow

- II Peter 3:18 “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.”

II. Drifting Dangers

a. The drift is dangerous to you. The drift takes us to the waterfall.

b. Caught in the undercurrent of

1. Peer pressure – apathy – popularity – praise of others – lack of interest – sin

2. Waterfall = hardness to God, weeds of doubt, fear and unbelief, loss of testimony, loss of witness, loss of family, loss of ministry, loss of fellowship with God

c. The drift is dangerous to others

1. A ship just drifting along is hazardous to all other ships

2. Parents who are drifting will loose opportunities with their children

3. Christians just drifting will loose opportunity with the lost

III. Drifting Signs

a. Diminishing desire to study God’s word and pray

1. God’s Word is our direction, and prayer is our communication anchor

b. Diminishing desire to be with God’s people

1. Hebrews 3:13 “But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

2. Psalm 122:1 “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.”

c. Diminishing desire to share the Gospel

IV. Drifting Rescue

a. Drifting Rescue for the Christian

- Revelation 2:5 “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

1. Remember – you have the anchor

2. Repent

3. Return

b. Drifting Rescue for the Christless

- Hebrews 2:3 "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;"

1. Lost person, you will not escape if you neglect salvation

Closing questions:

Are you drifting from the Lord?

Are their signs of drifting in your life?