INTRODUCTION: A DRIFTING SHIP
There’s a story from 1969 of a small fishing boat off the coast of Nova Scotia. A father and son went out at dawn, the waters were calm, and the skies were clear. But somewhere between the nets and the shoreline, a fog rolled in. A gentle current pulled the little vessel farther and farther out, so slowly they didn’t even notice. By the time the fog lifted, the shoreline had disappeared. No bearings, no compass, no land. The current that carried them was quiet, subtle, unalarming—and deadly.
They were found two days later, barely alive, miles from where they had been.
Here’s the tragic truth:
Most ships don’t sink by violent storms. They are lost by silent drifting.
And the writer of Hebrews knew something about that. Hebrews contains five warning passages, and the very first one—our text today—uses nautical imagery:
“We must pay even more attention… so that we do not drift away.” (Heb. 2:1, CSB)
A slow, quiet, imperceptible drift.
Not turning away in rebellion.
Not running away in sin.
Just not paying attention.
A distracted heart will eventually become a drifting soul.
RECALLING THE INTRODUCTORY SERMON
In our introductory sermon to the series, we heard the preacher of Hebrews calling us to:
“Run with endurance… keeping our eyes on Jesus.” (Heb. 12:1–2)
We talked about distractions, the weights and sins that cling to us, and Søren Kierkegaard’s famous line:
“Purity of heart is to will one thing.”
The one thing is Christ.
Now Hebrews takes us back to the very foundation—back to where the sermon begins—with a thunderous declaration:
“God…”
No greetings.
No Roman postal formula.
No friendly introduction.
Just: GOD.
AN ORPHAN EPISTLE — A HOME IN GOD
Hebrews is an orphan letter.
No stated author.
No signature line.
And yet it begins the same way Genesis begins:
“God…”
Good thing, as you said, that God “sets the solitary in families.”
Even an orphaned letter finds its home in Him.
THE TRANSCENDENT AND IMMANENT GOD (1:1)
“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways.” (1:1)
Before we talk about the Son, we need to talk about God.
The Scriptures present God as:
• Eternal
• Immortal
• Invisible
• Spirit
• Everywhere-present
• All-knowing
• The Source and Ground of all being
He is transcendent—above all He created.
He is immanent—present within all He sustains.
This holy God spoke through:
• Dreams
• Visions
• Angelic appearances
• Burning bushes
• A still small voice
• Covenants made
• Creation itself
• And the prophets
Every sunrise was a sermon.
Every prophet a mouthpiece.
Every vision a sketch of the coming reality.
But the writer of Hebrews says:
“God didn’t stop there.”
THE FINAL WORD (1:2)
“In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son.” (1:2)
Jewish thought divided time:
• “This present age”
• “The age to come”
The Messiah was the hinge between the ages.
And the preacher of Hebrews says:
“The last days are here… because the Son is here.”
God has spoken many ways, but now He has spoken one way.
Not through shadows.
Not through fragments.
Not through symbols.
Through a Son—one who stands in the closest possible relationship to God Himself.
Not just a prophet who speaks for God.
But the One in whom God speaks fully and finally.
THE SON IS THE HEIR OF ALL THINGS (1:2b)
“God has appointed him heir of all things…”
Everything exists for Him.
Here’s where you wanted the story added, and it fits beautifully:
There was an estate auction of a wealthy man who had died. His son had died years before him. The first item was a simple portrait of the son—nothing valuable, just sentimental. Nobody wanted it. One man, a neighbor, bought it for a few dollars. The auctioneer stopped, closed the book, and said,
“Whoever takes the son gets everything.”
And so it is with Christ.
The inheritance belongs to Him—and to all who belong to Him.
THE SON IS THE CREATOR (1:2c)
“…and has made the universe through him.”
He made it.
He sustains it.
He owns it.
The baby in Bethlehem is the Word through whom galaxies spun into being.
Isaiah 9:6 calls Him:
• Wonderful Counselor
• Mighty God
• Everlasting Father
• Prince of Peace
He is the Child born…
the Son given…
and the Eternal Father.
A mystery beyond telling:
The Creator of the stars walked under them.
THE OUTRAYING OF GOD’S GLORY (1:3)
“He is the radiance of his glory…”
You cannot separate the light from the sun.
Nor can you see the sun without the light.
The warmth we feel
The light by which we see
The life that flourishes under its rays
All of it is the sun’s own radiance.
So Christ is to God.
You cannot see God without seeing Jesus.
You cannot know God without knowing Jesus.
THE EXACT REPRESENTATION OF GOD’S BEING (1:3)
“…and the exact expression of his nature…”
The Greek word refers to the imprint of a seal.
If God presses His nature into human form,
the result is Jesus Christ.
Jesus is not a picture of God.
He is God in human nature.
• To see Him is to see the Father.
• To hear Him is to hear the Father.
• To follow Him is to follow the Father.
There is no other God hiding behind Jesus.
The Jesus of the Gospels is God.
THE SUSTAINER (1:3)
“…sustaining all things by his powerful word…”
Jesus isn’t Atlas straining under the world’s weight.
He upholds all things effortlessly.
Science tells us the universe is made of vibrations in empty space.
Sound at the center of everything.
Scripture told us long ago:
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made.” (Ps. 33:6)
“All things were created through him… and in him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:16–17)
And Jesus said:
“My Father is still working, and I am working also.” (John 5:17)
The universe stands because the Son speaks.
THE REDEEMER (1:3)
“After making purification for sins…”
He leapfrogs from creation to redemption in one breath.
The One who made the worlds
is the One who hung on the cross.
He purged our sins “by Himself.”
You don’t get good to get God.
You get God—and then you get good.
This anticipates chapters 7–10, but the seed is already here:
One sacrifice.
One offering.
One Savior.
One finished work.
THE ENTHRONED SON (1:3–4)
“…he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
There was no chair in the tabernacle.
The priest never sat.
But Jesus sat down because:
The work is finished.
Psalm 110:1 echoes through the New Testament like a drumbeat:
“Sit at my right hand…”
Not only is He seated—He is supervising the universe from the throne.
He is superior to every king—Herod, Caesar, Nebuchadnezzar, Hitler—every ruler who ever lived.
SUPERIOR TO THE ANGELS (1:4–14)
Now the preacher turns to the angelic hosts.
Angels were the highest conceivable beings in Jewish imagination.
But Jesus is superior in:
• Name
• Nature
• Honor
• Worship
1. A Superior Name (1:5)
“You are my Son…”
Angels are servants.
Jesus is Son.
2. Worshiped by Angels (1:6)
“Let all God’s angels worship him.”
From Bethlehem’s fields to John’s Revelation—He is heaven’s song.
3. Creator of Angels (1:7)
“He makes his angels winds…”
They are created.
He is Creator.
4. Eternal King (1:8)
“Your throne, O God, is forever…”
God calls the Son: God.
5. Immutable (1:10–12)
Angels change.
Creation will fold like a garment.
But He remains.
6. Enthroned (1:13)
The angels stand.
The Son sits.
THE GREAT WARNING (2:1–3)
Now comes the nautical warning:
“We must pay even more attention… so that we do not drift away.” (2:1)
Drift happens when:
• We stop looking at Jesus
• We stop listening carefully
• We lower Him in our estimation
• Life gets busy, loud, distracting
• We think we already “know enough” about Him
The whole sermon of Hebrews is an antidote to spiritual drift.
Then the preacher asks the most sobering question:
“How will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (2:3)
Not reject.
Neglect.
Neglect is slow.
Neglect is casual.
Neglect is drifting.
The solution?
Look to Jesus. Think more highly of Him. Fix your eyes on Him.
The greater your Christ,
the steadier your soul.
CONCLUSION:
A drifting boat doesn’t need an enemy.
It just needs inattention.
Christ is the anchor that keeps us from drifting.
Christ is the lighthouse that keeps us from crashing.
Christ is the harbor that brings us safely home.
If Hebrews 12 calls us to run,
Hebrews 1–2 calls us to look.
Look to Jesus—
the Radiance,
the Image,
the Creator,
the Sustainer,
the Redeemer,
the enthroned Son of God.
Lift Him high in your mind.
Lift Him high in your heart.
Lift Him high in your preaching, praying, thinking, and living.
Because the moment we stop looking at Him…
we start drifting from Him.
