Necessary Warning

April 14, 2013 Evening:

Title: The Danger of and Remedy for Drifting Away from Jesus

Old Testament Passage: Numbers 33:55-56 – A warning to Israel

Gospel Passage: John 4:34 – Jesus' food: Doing the Father's will

Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:1 – Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

Sermon Point: We reformed people are not at liberty to ignore the direct teaching of the Scriptures that our paying more careful attention to what we had heard could help us.

[2:1] Therefore

The letter to the Hebrews is not an abstract theological treatise, but a pastoral plea for the souls of people that might possibly fall away from the faith that has been presented to them which they seemed to heartily embrace. It is important for the church in every age, since the risk of surprising apostasy is so very real.

we

Is it possible that we could turn away from Jesus? The author has been quoting many Scriptures that show us the supremacy of the Son of God over every other authority that might seem outwardly impressive, even glorious angels. In this first verse of the second chapter, he recognizes that we (not just “you”) are at risk.

must pay much closer attention to what we have heard,

He says that we must pay much closer attention to something. The word that is used is one that describes the care that sailors need to take when they are bringing a ship into dock. It's fine to enjoy the sun, wind, and foam on the high seas, but when that ship is being docked, best to put the rum away or the landing may not be safe.

To what do we need to pay much more careful attention in our journey of faith and obedience? Simply put, we need to have all our attention on what we have heard: the reliable witness of Jesus, His righteousness, His cross, His resurrection, and His direction to the church. This must be more to us than success in the eyes of others or own feelings of well-being.

lest we drift away from it.

Why is this so critical? We are coming to the end of what has at times been an arduous and troubling voyage. We don't want to miss the dock, and be forced out again in order to try for a second landing. We are told to pay much more careful attention to what we have heard. Drifting away can cause us to lose sight of the end of the journey that is before us even now. After a time of drifting we could begin to think that the fun of the trip is more important than the destination. That deception finds no support in the message of Jesus Christ which you have heard.

Warnings are important. They were important in the Old Testament. Do we have some reason for thinking that they are less important today? Jesus' food was to do the will of His Father. He did not imagine that all that mattered was His own entertainment. The way was difficult for Him. But He continued to the end. He did not drift away from what He had heard.

Our safety is assured in Him. But this does not mean that we don't need to heed warnings when we hear them. The opposite is the case. The warnings are a part of God's grace. We are moved by them in our hearts. We need to be moved by them in our lives.