DISTRACTIONS AND DANGER

(INTRO) DISTRACTION: SHOWING AND TELLING (Me/We)

[1]WELCOME: Good morning Church! There really is something special about getting together with our spiritual family and focusing our eyes on Jesus. So glad to be with you all today. If you’re new with us on campus or online, thanks so much for joining us. My name is Nic Cook and I’m one of the pastors here at Cornerstone. We’re continuing our teaching…

SERIES: called Anchored based on the letter in our bible called Hebrews. It’s towards the end of your bible. [2]If you’d go ahead and open your bibles or digital devices to Hebrews chapter 2 we’ll be covering verses 1-5. If you didn’t bring a bible with you, we have them in the back. If you don’t own a bible, keep it, it’s our gift to you. Today, we’re going to be talking about…

· DISTRACTION AND DRIFTING: [3]You know what images come up on google when you search the word “distracted?” Almost every image is associated with someone unable to be present and focused because of a digital device and a social network of some kind. There are images of people who can’t focus at work because of their phone. There are images of people who can’t focus on relationships because of their phone. What’s interesting about these images, they do two things simultaneously. [4]They SHOW US something, but they’re trying to TELL US something as well. They show us what disctraction looks like, but they tell us what distraction does as well. They tell us, warning, distraction can affect your job. It could lead to getting fired. Warning, distraction can lead to ignoring people. It could lead to loss of relationships. Warning, distraction while walking or driving can be dangerous. You might end up in a wreck or dead. Well the writer of Hebrews is giving us a picture of what can happen to our lives if we are distracted from what’s truly important. If we are focused on things that aren’t worthy of our attention, it can be dangerous. Don’t get distracted. Don’t drift! Stay focused! I’m going to pray that God will help us see what distracts us and help us to focus on him and then we’ll read God’s word and hear what he has to say through his Holy Spirit. [5][Heb. 2:1-4]

(TEACH/APP) WARNING AND COMMAND: PAY ATTENTION

BACKGROUND: [6]This passage we’re given a warning about potential judgement. It’s the first of 5 passages like it that get more and more stern.

There is a tendency for people and pastors to shy away from parts of the bible that talk about judgement. While there are a number of reasons for this, I think the reason I personally struggle with passages about judgement, is that growing up I feel like I was given a picture of an angry God who was ready to punish me. I had to be perfect. I could be forgiven a certain number of times, but once I had exhausted his patience, it was judgement time. Yeah, Jesus loves me but don’t make his Father angry! I don’t believe that’s an accurate picture of either God the Father or Jesus. [7]The reason for this is that anger at sin can be motivated by love. For example, if someone were to come up and punch my wife in the face, because I love my wife and hate seeing anyone hurt her, I will be rightfully angry. So, there will be some kind of judgement. So, I will warn anyone, do not disrespect, or punch my wife. You’ve been warned. God also hates seeing how sin destroys the people he loves. When we choose to live our own ways, it leads to pain and heartache. Lust leads to sex outside of marriage which leads to distrust, shame, guilt, addiction. Anger leads to unkindness, abuse, violence, and even murder. What starts small, grows and consumes and destroys. And if we don’t turn away from our sin, eventually, we WON’T want God at all. So, a loving God must warn us, just like a loving parent warns their child not to run out into traffic. The writer of Hebrews loves these people and is conveying to them both a COMMAND and a WARNING from their loving Heavenly father…[8]

· (COMMAND) PAY ATTENTION (WARNING) SO THAT YOU DON’T DRIFT: I’m going to start with the warning first and then end today with the command. [9]That word drift is most commonly associated with being in a boat that is headed towards its port and misses it. My in-laws live down on Sunset Lake in Girard and learning the fine art of docking a boat is pretty hard. You line up the front of the boat headed towards the dock, but you must compensate for wind, the currents of the water, and if you don’t keep the boat straight or the nose pointed in the right direction you end up with a mess. At the very least you must back up and try again, but if you do it badly enough you could end up wrecking the boat, the dock, or even sinking it. The writer or Hebrews is saying, pay attention to the currents that are slowly pushing you away from your destination. Make sure you’re lined up straight and keep going. There are things in this world that are going to push you off course if you let it. There are things that will get you headed the wrong direction. [10]C.S. Lewis says it this way. “And as a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people drift away?” What he’s saying is that of the people who quit following Jesus, almost none of them did it intentionally, they didn’t one day say, well the most convincing argument is that Jesus wasn’t real, and Christianity is false. No, it happened over a period of time of neglect and then one day, they simply stopped believing. [11]DRIFTING HAPPENS SLOWLY, OVER WEEKS, MONTHS, AND YEARS TILL ONE DAY YOU’VE COMPLETELY MISSED THE DESTINATION YOU WERE MEANT FOR AND WONDER, HOW DID I GET HERE?You see this happen all the time. Seems like every year there’s an article about a famous pastor or Christian musician who says they’re not Christians anymore. So, what causes spriritual drift? [12]

o DRIFT IS CAUSED BY DISTRACTION AND NEGLECT: Let me give you a definition of distraction. DISTRACTION IS PRIORITIZING AND PAYING ATTENTION TO THE WRONG THINGS. Even if they’re good things, they are not the things that deserve the most energy and attention in our lives. Here’s how spiritual drift happens. “oh, well this sports team plays on Sundays for 3 months. We’ll be back after it’s over.” “It’s hunting season/camping season/football season, I’m only gone for a little while, I’ll be back after it’s over.” “Oh, well this activity only happens every other Sunday morning.” We’re only missing a couple times a month.” “Or I serve every other week, I don’t need to be in service on the weeks I’m not serving.” Then one day you look up, and your spouse doesn’t come to church, your kids have graduated, and Jesus isn’t part of their life, your marriage is a wreck. You think? How did I get here? And that’s just cutting God out of your weekend. What about the other six days of the week? I love what Joe said in Storytime earlier, [13]DISTRACTION IS ANYTHING THAT CAUSES GOD TO TAKE A BACK SEAT IN YOUR LIFE. Everything in this world is pushing you to drift away from your destination the moment you wake up. Jobs, social media, Netflix and Amazon Prime, kids, sports, keeping the house clean, prepping meals. The writer of Hebrews is saying, WHERE DOES GOD FIT INTO YOUR ATTENTION? DON’T BE DISTRACTED BY THE WRONG THINGS, even if they’re good things. If you drift, eventually you’ll end up where you don’t want to be. Your life will fall apart, and you won’t even have a desire for God anymore! So, what is the safeguard against drifting? Drifting is the warning, what is the command that will keep us on course? [14]

· (THE COMMAND) PAY CLOSER ATTENTION: [2:1] What does he mean, “pay much closer attention to what we have heard”? The author is tying this back to everything they’ve said in chapter one. Pay attention to the message God has delivered through various ways, especially, the greatest letter he wrote named Jesus! Pay attention to him. Pay attention to his words. Pay attention to his life and his actions. Have you ever noticed that you don’t have to tell a new couple who is dating, to pay attention to each other? No, they’re gross! It seems like they’re always thinking about each other. They call each other regularly; they carve out time to spend together. [15]The reason for that is we pay attention to the things and people we love! ATTENTION IS HOW WE SHOW AND GROW IN AFFECTION! The writer is saying, the way you keep from drifting is to regularly fix your attention on Jesus. This is how you show him you love him. And this is how your love for him will grow. I read the quote from C.S. Lewis earlier about how most people drift from Christianity. But here is the beginning of the quote. [16]“The first step is to recognize the fact that your moods change. The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. [moods change: you will not feel close to God, you will not feel like loving him. You will need some truth to focus on. When you focus on God’s love for you, his beauty and glory, then emotion will follow.] [17]That is why daily prayers and religious readings and churchgoing are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed. [FAITH MUST BE FED! He says, that’s why we need to read our bibles every day. That’s why we need to pray every day! That’s why we need a community of faith we meet with every week, and really more than once a week.] And as a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?” Don’t want to drift away? Then fix your attention on Jesus each day, as often as possible throughout the day. As you give him your attention, you will grow in affection for him. Then you will begin to notice when the world is trying to get you to drift. The author goes on to say…[18]

(JC) GOD HAS GONE TO GREAT LENGTHS TO GET YOUR ATTENTION… JESUS DESERVES YOUR ATTENTION AND YOUR AFFECTION!

[2:2-4] The writer says look how far God has gone to talk to you and to draw you closer to him. Look at how far God has gone to help you avoid destruction! He sent angels, prophets. He gave you the 10 commandments and the law to show you how to live well. He called you back from sin over and over through prophets. He did all of this because he loves you and wants you to avoid destruction. And when you didn’t listen, he didn’t stop. He sent an even better letter! He sent his son to show you how much he loves you. He sent his son to show you what abundant, overflowing, true life is supposed to look like. He sent his son to tell us repent, turn around, stop running away. Give me your attention. Give me your eyes, your ears, your heart, and I’ll help you truly live. And we killed Jesus! And yet God still didn’t quit speaking. He raised Jesus from the dead and said, now do you believe me? I love you enough to die for you! The writer of Hebrews says, wake up each day, focus your attention on the God who loves you and live! But if you ignore the best message I’ve ever given, if you ignore Jesus, what else can I do for you? What else could I possibly say? Nothing! If you reject Jesus, there’s nothing left for you. And the writer of Hebrews, and I as your pastor am begging you… PLEASE DON’T DRIFT! DON’T NEGLECT THE MESSAGE OF JESUS. EVERY DAY, TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO GOD. Read his word, love his son, pray and connect with him. He loves you infinitely more than you can imagine. If you are listening to this now and you’ve drifted, there’s still time to correct your course. Like the hymn says “prone to wander, lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.” Streams of mercy, never ceasing are still flowing.” There’s still time to come to Jesus. Let’s pray!