![]() ![]() We are being urged to take the message of Jesus Christ very seriously. What does that mean? Well, the word "give heed" in the language of the New Testament means "to apply your mind and your heart and your life to what you have heard". Notice, it says here you're to give heed to these things. Don't take for granted that you know who Jesus is and consider that that is all you need to do. In other words, because of who he is, don't fall asleep. "Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard". How could anyone neglect this wonderful Savior?īut notice how the verse begins: "Therefore", therefore what? Therefore, because of what you know about who Jesus is. He is exalted above the angels of the Bible. He supersedes the prophets of the Old Testament. His dominion is from everlasting to everlasting, and according to the Father in heaven, he is God. "Therefore", therefore, what? "Therefore", what do you mean, "therefore"? Therefore, because of everything we have learned already about who Jesus Christ is, the writer of Hebrews has presented to us in chapter 1, Jesus Christ in his glorious person and in his wonderful work. Now, when you read the word "therefore", at the beginning of the verse, verse 1 of chapter 2, you know that you need to find out what it's there for, and it's there to show you to look back. And the writer of Hebrews is endeavoring to encourage them to make a commitment to Christ. The Hebrew Christians of the first century were vacillating between the benefits of salvation and the ritualism and sacrifices of the Mosaic law. These warnings are given to us so that we don't just take the information we are given and become smarter about Jesus, but we understand that, when you know Jesus, there is always a requirement that comes to your heart because of that knowledge, and the warnings and the exhortations of the book of Hebrews are for us not just to read about him, not just to appreciate who he is, but to do something about what we have learned. The opening words of Hebrews 2, contain the first of five crucial warnings that are in the book of Hebrews, and all of these warnings are found within the context of the message of the superiority of Jesus Christ. Notice what it says in verse 1: "Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away". And so both those audiences are in view as we study these verses together.Īnd drifting is an interesting thing, is it not? Drifting is always more away from something than it is towards something, and in these four short verses, the writer of Hebrews is gonna tell us three things about drifting. It is also, I believe, an application to those who are Christians who have been close to Christ and have walked with Christ, but along the way, they have found themselves drifting away from Christ. They're drifting along, and they drift right past the Gospel, and they're lost. "Don't drift away from the harbor of salvation" is the message, and this section is, first of all, about those who are close to salvation but never, ever get into the harbor. It is to go on in your faith and not get caught in the drifting tides that will lead you away from your goal. ![]() He desires that now that they know who Christ is, they embrace him in their faith, and they make a commitment to him. He doesn't want them to just know more about Jesus Christ, as he has been declaring him in chapter 1. It is not enough for him that his readers appreciate Christ. The first four verses of Hebrews chapter 2, address words to the drifters, and the human writer of Hebrews is issuing a stern warning that needs careful attention. And drifting, men and women, is so quiet. Today's message is about drifting, a word which appears in the first verse. I'll show you how to stay anchored to God on today's edition of "Turning Point". The title of today's message is "The Danger of Drifting", one of several warning messages the writer to the Hebrews gives to his spiritually immature readers, but drifting away from biblical truth can happen to anyone who is not careful. We're studying the book of Hebrews in a new series called "Jesus is Enough". Just as floating adrift in the turbulent ocean waters leads to certain destruction, so we can be spiritually disoriented when we drift away from the rock of our salvation. Stories like this remind me of a danger many Christians fight. Because I live near the ocean, it's not unusual to hear a news story about a surfer or a swimmer being caught in a strong current and drifting far offshore. Hello, I'm David Jeremiah, and welcome to this edition of "Turning Point". ![]()
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