Posted on 12/20/2023 5:54:33 AM PST by metmom
"For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it" (Heb. 2:1).
God’s Word is the anchor that will prevent people from drifting past the harbor of salvation.
While English explorer William Edward Parry and his crew were exploring the Arctic Ocean, they needed to go further north to continue their chartings. So they calculated their location by the stars and began a treacherous march.
After many hours they stopped, exhausted. After taking their bearings, they discovered they were now further south than when they started! They had been walking on an ice floe that was traveling faster south than they were walking north.
That is similar to the situation people who continue rejecting Christ find themselves in. Therefore Hebrews 2:1 says, "We must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it."
Why would anyone knowingly reject Christ? He came into the world as God incarnate, died on a cross to forgive our sins, paid our penalty, showed us divine love, and gives us blessing and joy beyond imagination.
The Greek words translated "pay much closer attention to" and "drift away from" both have a nautical usage. The first means "to tie up a ship" and the second can be used of a ship that has been carelessly allowed to drift past the harbor because the sailor forgot to attend to the steerage or chart the wind, tides, and current. Hebrews 2:1 could be translated: "We must diligently anchor our lives to the things we have been taught, lest the ship of life drift past the harbor of salvation and be lost forever."
Most people don't deliberately turn their backs on God; they almost imperceptibly slip past the harbor of salvation and are broken on the rocks of destruction. Be sure you warn those you know who might be slipping past that harbor.
Suggestion for Prayer
Ask God to strengthen your resolve when you know you need to confront someone regarding his or her relationship with the Lord.
For Further Study
Memorize Proverbs 4:20-22 as your own reminder of how important it is to hold on to God's Word.
From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.
Studying God’s Word ping
One of the best messages I have ever read.
Most people don’t deliberately turn their backs on God; they almost imperceptibly slip past the harbor of salvation and are broken on the rocks of destruction.
......................................
It took me a few shipwrecks to finally get it right. God saved me each time our else I’d be dead.
Thanks For Reconciliation With God
I rejoice and thank You Father, that I have peace with You through our Lord Jesus Christ, and have wonderful access to Your amazing gift of grace, through simply believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank You, that although I was far away from You and wallowing in my sin and disobedience, I have been brought close to You Father, through the precious blood of my Jesus Christ my Saviour. It is a thing most wonderful to know that through the cross of Christ, the hostility that I had with You Lord, has been removed. I have been reconciled back to God, and have not only become a a citizen of heaven along with all who trust in Christ Jesus and have been made a member of God’s household, but also His beloved child and joint-heir with Christ Himself. There are no words sufficient for the thanks that I give You and pray that I may worship You for ever and ever.
I glorify Your wonderful name that there is now no condemnation, and that my reconciliation with God almighty is both permanent and eternal. For the wrath of God was poured out upon the innocent life of the Lord Jesus, Who took my place, so that I could be brought back into fellowship with You, and reconciled with God.
Praise Your wonderful name for ever and ever and ever,
Amen
Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/prayer/thanks-for-reconciliation-with-god-515
As Christians - Jesus is our Shepherd threfore if we begin to drift he is faithful to check us....sometimes more than a few times. But we are not left on our own.
God WANTS to save us.
He does not let us fend for ourselves nor leave it up to us to work out our salvation.
What MacArthur is saying here sounds almost like a saved by grace, kept by works salvation.
Somethings wrong then. We're kept entirely by Jesus's finished work on our behalf - or not at all.
He cannot deny Himself since we are indwelt by His Spirit.
The Spirit who seals us until the day of redemption and is the guarantee of our inheritance.
A beautiful prayer and testimony.
Revelation 12:11 NKJV
And they [the followers of Jesus] overcame him [the Devil] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
Even though this passage is written in past tense, it is describing what is primarily a future event. Still, it applies to all believers throughout all as I believe.
While we cannot testify of being a witness to the resurrection of Christ (the Bible records the testimonies of numerous eye witnesses), we can testify as to what He has done in our lives.
Testimonies are very powerful.
John 3:11a NKJV
Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen.
1 John 1:1-3 NKJV
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Amen, thanks. I love reading Revelation.
If we are not kept by grace, we may as well give it up.
Exactly.
If it were up to me to keep myself saved, I would be in so much trouble. Since inHis economy hatred = murder and lust = adultery, who of us is pure enough in our thoughts that we would never slip into some kind of sin to condemn us?
It took me years to realize that God WANTS to save us over thinking that He is just waiting for us to screw up so He has an excuse to reject us. What with the effort He put into saving me (and us) why would He then just let us go so easily without doing what He could to keep us?
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