SIMPLY JESUS
STICK WITH JESUS
Hebrews 2:1-4
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.
-If drifting away is so terrible (and it is) how do avoid it?
LISTEN CAREFULLY: TO BRING CLOSE, PAY ATTENTION TO, CLEAVE TO.
-This term in original language was sometimes used to describe bringing a ship closer to the land.
-Isn’t that interesting? Don’t drift out to sea, don’t miss your harbor, anchor yourselves close to shore.
-Don’t let it escape from you, take hold of it. Hang on to it.
-Cling to the message of God’s Son like it’s the most important thing in your life…because it is.
-So how do we avoid drifting away from what is most important in our lives?
-Some of you are expecting me to say something really SMART at this point…but some of you know we better than that!
-There’s not big secret to this. To avoid drifting I recommend.
-Being in church on Sunday unless you’re sick or out of town.
-It’s being discipled…may I suggest a life2life group?
-It’s getting your nose in the Bible.
-It’s spending that time in prayer.
-Those things are some of the anchors that Jesus has given us.
-Have you ever been in rough water with only one anchor?
-You may not be drifting anywhere but you are spinning in circles!
-You’re not falling away, but the wind & waves are making u dizzy.
-Christ is our anchor, but he’s given us all these anchors to keep us from drifting away. To hold us firmly in place.
-If you’ve been in church any amount of time you know that people drift away. This isn’t hypothetical.
-When you talk to people who are drifting, ask them about their anchors? Are you in weekly fellowship? Are you being discipled? Are you in the Word? How’s your prayer life? RU going to church.
-You might say, “I don’t want to judge, I don’t want to confront, I don’t want to get into someone else’s business.”
-But look at chapter 3:12-13, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.”
-A Christian who turns away from God, hardened against God?
-A Christian with an evil heart or unbelieving heart?
-We can’t be shocked by that…we see it every day.
-What shocks me is not the drifting Christian. It shocks me that the faithful don’t care enough to warn them.
-It’s shocking that we could see Christians sinking into
unbelief, and no one sends out a life preserver.
THE DANGERS OF DRIFTING AWAY. (VS 2-4)
2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.
-Last week we saw the comparison between Jesus and the angels.
-The idea was simple; Jesus was superior to angels in every way.
-And here he’s building on that.
-If Jesus is superior to the angels, then his message is superior to the message of the angels.
MESSAGE DELIVERED THROUGH ANGELS: THIS REFERS TO THE LAW OF MOSES. (SEE DT 33:2, AC 7:53, GAL 3:19)
-The Jews believed that while Moses was on Mt. Sinai, that God used angels as intermediates to convey the Law.
-And if you’re taking the read the Bible in a year challenge, you’ll be reading through the Law any day now.
-Verse 2 says that message given by angels included consequences for disobedience. There was punishment.
-Some laws demanded lawbreakers to pay a steep fine.
-If you broke certain laws you’d be banished from the community.
-Some laws carried the ultimate consequence…death penalty.
-The author of Hebrews is building a very strong case here.
-That covenant was given by angels. Our covenant was given by the One and Only Son of God.
-If the violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished in the OT, what do you think will happen in the NT?
-If you drifted from the angel’s message in the OT there were consequences, and if you drift away from Christ’s message in the NT there are consequences.
-This is a theme throughout Hebrews…the comparison between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
-And here’s the danger for those who drift in verse 3.
3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?
IGNORE THIS GREAT SALVATION: there is great truth here for us.
-Very few people just abandon their faith completely.
-People seldom wake up and simply decide to walk away from JC
-THIS HAPPENS SLOWLY THROUGH INATTENTION, APATHY, AND NEGLECT.
-It’s a slow drift that happens when people lose their focus.
-I am not a yard person. I hate my backyard. To be honest,s most days I’d be happy living in a condo.
-In late November I rake up the leaves and mow it. And the only use the backyard gets from Fall to Spring, is from our boxer Sassy.
-Which is another reason I don’t like the backyard, it’s basically a big litter box.
-But when I do go out to manage that thing in the Spring it’s amazing how bad it’s gotten.
-There is moss in the grass, the grass is a foot tall, there are weeds everywhere. The lawn needs to be edged, the bark dust needs to be freshened up, the deck needs to be stained, the siding needs to be power washed, and the gutters need to be cleaned.
-The blackberries start coming over that retaining wall, and it all of that stuff happens in just a few months.
-I could blame nature I suppose, but it happens from my neglect.
-I ignore it all winter, and then get the same surprise each spring.
-And that’s what our author is talking about.
-What do you think will happen if you ignore this great salvation?
-This is the message from God’s son! If you ignore this message there is not escape.
ESCAPE: THERE IS NO ESCAPING THE PUNISHMENT OF UNFORGIVEN SINS.
-Some people want to argue that this warning is given only to those who haven’t made Jesus their Lord.
-We are certainly concerned for the souls of non-believers.
-Christ said that people who won’t receive him as Lord and accept him as Savior will be condemned.
-But the author of Hebrews is writing to Christians.
-You can’t drift away from something you’ve never had.
-We suspect these were Jewish Christians facing persecution and maybe even death for their faith.
-They may have been thinking about giving up on this thing.
-They may have been thinking that following Jesus was too hard.
-They may have contemplated going back to Judaism.
-And our author says to those Christians…there is no escape if you abandon Jesus.
-Last summer we hiked to the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park. It was a steep hike, but an incredible view.
-You can see the green trees, the river below, the canyon walls
-When you get to the top there are these little pools of water where you can soak your feet.
-There are some nice places to sit in the shade and just take in all of the scenery.
-But there are also signs warnings about the danger of the falls.
-I’ve put it on the screen for you.
-“If you go over the falls you will die.”
-That’s not very optimistic. Doesn’t leave a lot of room for interpretation, does it? Death is certain.
-You will not have a mild concussion.
-This isn’t not Advil and icepack injury. This is death.
-There is no coming back from that fall.
-You will certainly perish if you don’t heed this warning sign.
-Take it seriously.
-That’s what our text is telling us today.
-Jesus is the one who has taken away our sins.
-Jesus is the one who gives us life, and spares us from the death sentence we deserve for all our sins.
-IF WE ABANDON JESUS (INTENTIONALLY OR THROUGH NEGLECT), THERE IS NOWHERE ELSE TO TURN.
-There’s no backup plan. There’s no side door to heaven.
-It Jesus only. Simply Jesus.
-But here’s the positive side of that. There is no escaping, if we abandon Jesus…
-But there is escape from ours sins, through Jesus.
-The message about Jesus is a message of salvation, not a message of condemnation.
-The Good news about Jesus, is the best news of our lives.
-Nothing even compares to it.
4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.
CONFIRMED: THE MESSAGE OF JESUS WAS CONFIRMED BY DISPLAYS OF GOD’S POWER.
-And his power is still on display in the lives of regular people like us. People who follow Jesus.
-Can I encourage U faithful people today 2 stay anchored in Christ -Can I challenge you who have been drifting?
-You may be playing around with sin.
-You may be struggling with doubts.
-It’s so easy to wake up one Sunday and realize you haven’t been to church in months. Stay anchored in Christ.
-Use those anchors he’s given you to steady yourself.
-And if you know drifting Christians, I’d challenge you this morning to pray for them and call them and encourage them to stay faithful.
