Drift is inevitable without action, so here’s what we can do
By Dean Collins
“We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” And how will we obey this admonition from Hebrews 2? We must act. Drift is inevitable without action.
The first action is to pay closer attention to what we’ve heard. The emphasis is on what we heard from Jesus and about Jesus. First-century Christ followers had a problem similar to the one we have. There were and will always be many voices begging for us to listen to them over listening to Jesus.
Listening actually requires some effort. When I fall to the temptation of multitasking, my listening abilities diminish rapidly. Likewise, when I listen to sound bites from multiple sources without intently pausing to consider the voice of God in Scripture and from Jesus, it is easy to allow culture to pull my theology from its true source. The book of Hebrews teaches us that Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins, conquered death, and sits at the right hand of God (see Hebrews 1:3,4). What we sometimes forget is that the Sermon on the Mount is filled with to-dos not just to-knows. And this is critical to not drifting. When we live and behave according to the things Jesus taught, it is impossible to drift. Drifting happens when we claim to know but fail to do. Being in the Kingdom of God puts us under the authority of the King. The King gave us work to do that extends his Kingdom.
A point of decision
The teachings of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount and throughout the Gospels lead us to a point of decision. Hebrews brings focus to the work of our High Priest who by his sacrifice cleansed us from our sins. Now as we pay close attention to Jesus, assisted by God’s Spirit who lives inside us, we can and must behave differently than this world behaves. Jesus told us the wise man builds his house on the rock and does the words of Jesus instead of just hearing the words of Jesus. Blessings and Kingdom power flow through us as a result. But not without suffering.
Our great High Priest, Jesus, came in the flesh and lived in our broken world subject to the suffering all of us endure. Hebrews 2 tells us he faced the same issues we do, including temptation and ultimately death. And thank God he did! Through his death we gain victory over our bondage to death and find hope that by the example of Jesus and the power of Jesus in us we can be victorious over temptation and have no fear in death. We will rise again just as Jesus did!
Experience freedom
Back to my first and main point of drift. If we do not listen and subsequently follow or obey Jesus, we drift. And our drift will bring us back to the chains from which Jesus set us free. While we will endure suffering in this life, we do not have to live in fear. When we relentlessly obey Jesus we not only experience freedom, we become messengers, even ambassadors, of the King. Kingdom ambassadors don’t walk around in chains. Rather our works of doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly show others that through Jesus there is a pathway forward.
Stop the drift. Listen and obey the words of Jesus. They are life-changing, freedom-giving, and worth sharing with others.
Your time with God’s Word
Hebrews 2:1-4; Matthew 7:24; Hebrews 2:14-18 ESV
Photo by Possessed Photography on Unsplash
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