DRIFTING
AWAY!
Introduction:
A famous
Hymn written by Robert Robinson, a Baptist preacher, "Come the fount of
every blessing," reflects how Robinson surrendered his life to the Lord.
On Sunday, May 24, 1752, he was one of a gang of young people who went and got
a fortune-teller drunk on cheap gin. Then visited Whitefield's Tabernacle at Moor
fields "to mock the preacher and pity his hearers," but instead,
Robinson was haunted by Whitefield's sermon on the wrath to come. Day and night, he was troubled as he recalled
the message. This unrest culminated three years later in his complete
conversion. He penned these words, "Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God; He, to rescue me from danger, Bought me with
His precious blood." In the mid-1770s, Robinson was increasingly drawn
into public activism to defend religious and civil liberties.
Robinson
was a man open to other viewpoints and tolerant — perhaps to a fault. He was
friendly with political and theological radicals, including Unitarians and
others who denied Christ's divinity (Socinians). There was a small Socinian
group in his congregation in Cambridge, and he refused to take sides against
them when division opened up over the question. The verse in the Hymn,
"Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone
to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, O
take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above,"[1]
reflects the wanderings during his later years.
If wandering away from faith could happen
to Robinson, then it could happen to anyone of us today. This Hymn reflects the
gracious rescue of a believer by Jesus. Also, it warns us about the potential
dangers of drifting away from our faith, especially during these days of isolation
and uncertainty. In the passage we read, we find "A Warning Against
Drifting Away."
A
bit of background. The book of Hebrews was written primarily to Jewish converts
who were being tempted to revert to Judaism. Some have suggested that these
Jewish Christians were thinking of merging with a Jewish sect, found at Qumran
near the Dead Sea.
The
readers are told that there can be no turning back to or continuation in the
old Jewish system, which has been superseded by the unique priesthood of
Christ. God's people now must only look to Him, whose death, resurrection, and
ascension have opened up a new way of living.
Here
the author begins with the first of five warnings strategically positioned
throughout the letter (3:7–4:13; 6:4–8; 10:26–31; 12:25–29). Vs. 1 “We must pay the
most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not
drift away.” Let me unpack verse one for us. The
author lays a clear connection between a believer's listening and adhering to
the truth and a possible drifting away from it. The ancient Jews were very
familiar with the most
important of all Jewish prayers known as Shema Israel. It is found in
Deuteronomy 6:4-9. These six verses are a declaration of faith and a pledge of
allegiance to God for the Jews.
Here
is a part of the Shema Israel. Duet 6:4-5, "Listen, O Israel! The
Lord is our God, the Lord, alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all
your heart, all your soul, and all your strength." The Hebrew word Shema
means more than just listening or hearing, but it calls for obedience. Jesus
understood the power of Shema and used it as a weapon against temptations.
In
the NT Church, it was apparent that some Jewish believers were quickly drifting
away from their newfound faith and turning back to their old ways of living. The
Apostle Paul addresses, such a turning away. Galatians 1:6, "I am
astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in
the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel which is really no
gospel at all. Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are
trying to pervert the Gospel of Christ." Let's look at the Word drifting
and its implications.
I. WHAT DOES
DRIFTING MEAN?
Racecar
drivers on the track and sailors on the ocean understand the Word drifting and
its implications very well. For our study, let us look at the following
definition from a sailor's point of view. Drifting is, "to be carried
along by currents of water or air, or by the force of circumstances as an ocean
liner. To wander without aim and to go with the flow."
In
sailing, drifting is a considerable concern. The failure of a ship's engines
while at sea will cause it to drift and to turn side-on to the wind and the
tide. The
loss of power also means that the ship will begin a rolling motion that can
become very severe. Without engine power, there is nothing the crew could do to
stop it. That ship is bound to run aground and be wrecked.
Similarly,
how does drifting happen in the life of a believer? What are its implications,
and how can we reverse the course and move forward to our spiritual
destination? There is no one particular thing, but a combination of things
causes a drift. I would think about four
things that could cause believers to drift away and shipwreck their faith.
II. FOUR SIGNS OF
A DRIFTING CHRISTIAN.
A. Lack of Love
for the Lord: Among
the seven letters to the churches in the end times, the first thing God
addresses is their lack of love for God and each other. The Church in Ephesus
thought they were working very hard to keep up the truth and maintain holiness,
but they did not realize how far they drifted away. Revelation 2:4-5, “Yet I
hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider
how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” Lack of
love for God and others is the first phase of drifting away.
B. Not firmly
rooted in the Word. Our
lack of love for God reflects in our lack of interest in His Word. As a result,
we will stop reading and meditating on His Word. What happens when we don't
read the scriptures daily? We are not rooted deep, and we remain shallow in our
faith.
The
apostle Paul exhorts Colossian believers to let their roots deep in Jesus
Christ. Col 2: 7, "Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives
be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught,
and you will overflow with thankfulness."
C. Worries of
life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things:
I want us to see the progression of
drifting away. When there is a lack of love for God, one another, and His Word,
a believer becomes vulnerable and weak. They become prone to anxieties and a
target of the enemy's temptations. Jesus explains in the parable of seeds how
someone's spiritual growth is hindered and eventually render them fruitless.
Mark
4:18-19, "The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear
God's Word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of
this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is
produced." What are you craving today? Are Facebook and TV distracting you
from reading His Word and following Him closely?
D. Lack of
Fellowship with Other Believers
When a believer's life is crowded
with worries of this life, the lust of wealth, and the desire for worldly
pleasures, there is hardly any room left for genuine fellowship with other believers.
That is when a believer finds no joy in coming to Church, to pray, and to be
discipled.
Last
week I stressed the importance of regular fellowship with other believers. Hebrews
3:12-14, "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."
Let
me warn you; this drifting may not happen all at once but over some time. You
will notice a slow decline. If you don't take corrective steps quickly, you
will be heading towards a disaster. In our passage, we will find a key to
avoiding drifting away from our faith.
III THE RELIABLE
MESSAGE OF JESUS
After
warning against drifting away, the author affirms the most reliable and
life-giving message of God that has been delivered to us through angels and our
Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Vs. 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." In ESV, "For since the
message declared by angels proved to be reliable." The message of God is
enduring and reliable.
According
to the Jewish understanding, later emphasized by Jesus, what keeps a believer
from drifting away from His faith is carefully listening (includes obedience)
to the gospel truth they heard at the time of their conversion. The lack of
obedience to the truth is detrimental.
We
are living in an era of alternative facts and fake news. We don't know who is
telling us the truth; we don't know what a reliable source is. Our country is
more polarized and divided than we realize. Even among Christians, there is so
much disunity and division.
Amid
such divisive and destructive voices, what keeps us anchored in our faith? The
reliable message of God. The author says Jesus Himself has delivered that
message, and God has confirmed it through miracles and signs. Consider these
scriptures: John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one
and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life." God loves all people and wants all of them to be saved through His
Son.
The
Son gave us two commandments, "'You must love the Lord your God with all
your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest
commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."
Matt 22: 37-39. Let us obey them.
This
is the good news that God delivered to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Let
us firmly hold on to this truth, believe in it, practice it and proclaim it
boldly. Let's forget all that is behind us, and let's press on to Know Jesus,
the author, and finisher of our faith. Amen!
