THE DEADLY DANGER OF DRIFTING

HEBREWS 2:1

A. THAT WORD - DRIFTING
  1. That which is driven, forced, or urged along; anything driven at random:
  2. That which has broken away from its mooring; that which has no self-control:
  3. To drift is to be carried by the tide; it means that dangerous currents are pulling us away from our anchorage either into the open sea or to a coral reef:
  4. Now look at the words of our opening text in the light of the above definition of the word "drifting"; All indicate:
    1. No self-control.
    2. Broken away from our foundation.
    3. Carried by a dangerous current to the open sea, or to a coral reef.
    4. Does any one of them apply to our own life?
B. THE DEADLY DANGER OF DRIFTING
  1. It must be noted that the words of our text do not apply, in particular, to the world, but rather to God's people:
    1. They indicate a state of carelessness by God's professed people.
    2. Drifting indicates spiritual helplessness of many - Rev. 3:14-17
    3. It is possible to have the form of godliness and yet be dead in trespass and sin - Rev. 3:1
    4. It indicates further a state of drowsiness, sleepiness which makes it doubly dangerous to our spiritual nature - Matt. 24:12; 25:1-12
  2. Light and truth bring responsibility:
    1. The things we hear or learn from the Bible make us responsible.
    2. The knowledge of the prophetic truths for our day makes us doubly responsible to God -
      1. We have tasted of the heavenly gift.
      2. We have experienced the powers of the world to come.
      3. We have been partakers of the Holy Ghost.
      4. We are an enlightened people - Heb. 6:4, 5
C. SOME DANGEROUS AND INSIDIOUS CURRENTS OF OUR DAY THAT ARE DANGEROUS TO THE REMNANT CHURCH
  1. The spirit of our time:
    1. Our Lord describes this spirit and its influence in Luke 17:26, 27; Matt. 24:36-42
  2. The spirit of our time is noted for:
    1. Indifference in the conduct of the people.
    2. Carelessness in our conduct.
    3. Neglect of prayer and the study of the word of God.
    4. Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.
    5. Neglecting to work for the salvation of souls.
    6. Harboring ill feelings to others.
    7. Drinking out of polluted fountains -- reading things that will dull the mind and deaden the spirit.
  3. But the most dangerous of all is found in:
    1. Simply doing nothing about our spiritual relationship to the truth and the cause of God -- just drifting.
    2. Allowing time and opportunity to slip away from us until it is forever too late.
  4. "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."
    1. You see what it means to just drift along with the tide of our times!
    2. Unless we take hold of ourselves and arouse ourselves out of the deep stupor we find ourselves in, we are of all men most miserable; we are to be pitied because we have the light and do not live it.


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