Charles Stanley - A Warning Against Drifting
There was a time in our country when people cared for one another; respected one another; encouraged one another and felt safe. They honored their leaders and cherished the flag; prayed for those in all kinds of uniforms who defended us and cared for us; when churches were filled with people. God's servants were preaching the Word of God. And people were interested in spiritual things. People were interested in helping each other when they were going through difficult times, hard times, trials. And we honored the God of the Bible.
There was a time when we talked only about the Word of the Living God. But that is no longer true. And, families prayed together. And children felt safe in school. And debt was avoided, all possibilities. And the future looked bright. And there was an overall feeling of confidence and assurance and protected and all the rest. But that is no longer true. Because I can remember when most of that was sort of true and I felt that, and I experienced that. Back in the sixties, then came the seventies, then came the eighties and the nineties and here we are. And we have drifted some very long ways from where we were. It's not that we rushed to be where we are. It's not even the fact that most of us wanted to be where we are. But we are where we are because we have allowed things to happen. We've drifted. And when you're drifting, you usually come sort of slowly and much of this has changed over a period of time, didn't happen suddenly.
So somebody says, Well, how does it happen? Here's how it happens. When you begin to move from the foundational principles by which this nation was founded upon, that's the beginning of change. When you move from the foundational principles, change begins to take place. And when it begins, it picks up speed. And before long you look back and think, This isn't the nation I grew up in. What has happened to America? We have drifted from the foundations that made this the greatest nation on earth. We've drifted. Somewhere along the way our leaders made decisions, and the people agreed or we wouldn't be where we are, to do things differently. And to do them in such a way that we leave God out of it.
And if you'll think about it, it's always dangerous to just drift, whether you're drifting as an individual; whether you're drifting in your boat, on a lake where there's a falls, whatever it might be, it's dangerous to drift. Because drifting says, I don't care. Or drifting says, I'm not in control. Or drifting says, Uh, just anyway will be okay. Drifting, personally is dangerous. Drifting is, as a nation, look around you, most of us would change many things about this country. And when you look around to see what's happening, how did we get here? Nobody decided, Let's go there. Nobody decided, This is what we want to be. What most of us want to be is what this nation was years ago when the foundational principles of the Word of the Living God also guided our nation.
So the title of this message is A Warning Against Drifting. And I want you to turn to Hebrews, if you will, and I just want us to read from the second chapter. And I want us to read the first four verses of the second chapter of Hebrews. The first verse, "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it". Very important verse, "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape," we won't, "how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard it. God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will".
Now, I want us to look at that verse a minute. Notice what he says, warning us to "pay much closer attention, much closer attention to what we've heard, so that we won't drift away". It takes some effort on my part to give my attention to it; to interpret it; to understand exactly what it's saying. What he is saying here, "Pay much closer attention to what," you are hearing concerning the Word of God. And that's a choice we make. A person can come to church or go to church and sit and listen to the choir and the orchestra, or listen to the pastor, or whatever it might be. And you know, you hear a lot of sounds; but it's possible to sit here and listen and not hear it. You heard the sounds, you heard the voice of a person, but not hear the truth of the message.
That's why, if you'll notice what he says here, he says, "For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that," what? "So that we won't drift away". So it's very clear. If we don't listen, if we don't pay attention, if we're not careful about our attention, we will find ourselves drifting and wonder how we got here. So you see, I've lived long enough to see what was happening back yonder when I was a kid. I was born in nineteen thirty-two; And we're in a state in this nation we have never been in. And I know that because I have lived through it, watched it, preached the Word of God through it. Asked the question, God, what's happening to our nation? And so, let's think about it this way. How are we drifting?
Well, I'll just name a few. Number one, when you drift there's a current. And so you're just moving along in the current, whatever the current is. So, the number one current in America is the current of immorality. We have decided that we are going to practice sex any way we choose to do so. So there is the current of immorality. Where does that lead, but to the death of families and the ruination of marriage? Then there's the financial current. And as we just said, it's easy to get in debt. They do you this wonderful favor of sending you this little card and telling you that you can have anything you want. And finally you can get so much in debt you don't know what you're going to do. You can lose everything.
So there's a financial current. And then there's a political current. And today's political current is filled with confusion. What does anybody believe? And so we have confusion everywhere. Why do they allow this and why do they allow that? Why doesn't somebody speak up? Why doesn't somebody do something? And there was a time when somebody did something; and we prospered in spite of all the things that were going on because we trusted God. Which brings me to the fourth current, and that is the current today filled with liberalism. Everybody standing behind the pulpit is not preaching the Word of God. Many of them are preaching all kinds of ideas that have nothing to do with the truth of the gospel. Jesus would never adhere to that. God could never bless it, no matter what.
But there are people who are so committed to their way of life, they don't want anybody to preach the gospel. They want somebody to sort of tell them what they're doing is fine. And before long, people drift away. But that's the kind of current we're in. So, all of that makes me very concerned about where we are. Every facet of our, watch this. Every facet of our life is in danger. Children are not safe in school and in many places people who go to work every day are no longer absolutely safe where they work. What's happened to a nation that had everything, and had the power to protect ourselves, never questioned our power to defend ourselves? What happened to this nation?
So, I want to answer that question. And that is, why do we drift? Because we are drifting, and I want to talk about why we drift as believers. Now we're talking about people who've trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior, go to church or have been to church and been baptized and all the rest. And then something happens in their life. Doesn't take any effort to drift; because drifting is easy. All you have to do is allow yourself to drift away from the Word of God and what happens? You drift and drift and drift and listen, the longer you drift, the faster you go. You say, Well, how do I stop drifting? The first thing you have to do is to make a decision, I am not going to live this way. By the grace and the power and the mercy of God, I want to be what God wants me to be. I want to do what God wants me to do. I'm willing to change. God, change anything and everything about me. I do not want to drift and wreck and ruin my family, my life, my finances, my whole future; and one day grow old and look back and think, What have I done with my life? You do not want to live that kind of life.
So, what are some of the signs that we're drifting? First thing that you'll notice is they drift from their desire for the Word of God. When you find yourself just going day after day, and not taking time to read the Word of God, you're drifting from the Word of God which is your anchor for life. A second area is when you begin to drift from your desire to pray. But then, of course, the people drift from their desire to give. They used to give and they give no more or not what they used to give. And so then they wonder why financially they get in trouble. Because when you drift in your relationship to Him, everything in your life becomes influenced by it. What you'll find also you will drift in your desire to talk to other people about Jesus.
There was a time when, you know, your friend was lost and you just couldn't handle that hardly, and or your children are growing up and you wanted to be sure they were saved before they left home and you're drifting from your desire to share the Gospel of Christ. And they drift from the awareness of God's presence. There was a time for example, when during your work, or wake up at night, in the middle of the night, you were aware of God's presence. You'd prayed and you'd read the Word, you were aware of His presence. And driving to work, you're aware of His presence. On your job, you're aware of His presence. In school, you're aware of His presence. And somehow you've just sort of drifted from that. And that's no longer a part of your thinking process. And before long, there's an increasing desire for the world's ways.
Either I'm going to step over here and be true to the Word of God, or I'm just doing to flounder around and I'm going to get off here in the world's ways and do what they do and sort of enjoy myself, you think, and I'm going to be able to get along without God. No, you're not. There may be a lot of people who think they are, but you are not getting along without God, can I tell you why. The Bible says, Be sure, this is God's Word, Be sure your sin will find you out. Neglecting the things of God is a sin. Because to neglect His Word you're neglecting Him. And so, when you're drifting, what happens is you pulled in the oars and you just let yourself go and not paying any attention too much to what's going on in your life. It's destructive.
So what are the consequences? Well, number one, you get out of God's will and into sin. You drift, you're going to get out of God's will into sin. You're going to get into things that you never thought you'd be into. How many times have I heard that? I never thought I'd be drinking. I never thought I'd get on drugs. I never would have dreamed of being immoral. My parents taught me better than that. I've been to church. I know better. I'd never think I would do that. You drift, you drift into sin. And what's going to happen when you drift, you miss God's best. Because remember this. God has the best plan available for you, because He has a will for your life. So if I want God's best, I'm not going to be so foolish as to drift through life partaking of this and that and the other, you know, to have fun and to make myself fulfilled.
Let me tell you something. In all of my years, I've never met anybody fulfilled in their life living in sin, nobody. You can't drift away from God and be right. And so, you're going to grieve the heart of God. God is grieved. Let me ask you a question. You're married; you find out your wife is seeing somebody else, what is your response? If you love her, you're grieved inside. Your heart's broken. She's your wife; you've loved her all these years and now she's decided to do something else. Imagine what God feels. He saved you; wrote your name in the Lamb's Book of Life. You're his child forever and you've decided to live your life your way; grieves the heart of God.
God's never happy with our living in sin. And it can develop into a hardening toward God. Or you say, One drink won't hurt. Yes, it will. You know what's going to hurt about one drink, is the second one. And on you go. Smoking pot or whatever you're smoking, you think, Well, that's not going to hurt. They legalized it. It doesn't make any difference what they legalize. That doesn't make it right. You can get sodden drunk. It's legal for you to drink all you want. And we're living in a day when what is legal is absolutely totally unthinkable. But we decided that's how we wanted to live. And so little by little we've made choices.
And so, I think about how do we recover from drifting from God? How do we stop this? If, for example, you realize today that some area of your life, you're just drifting, how do we stop it? Well, first of all, you realize that you are adrift. And if you've sat and listened to this part of the message up to this point, if you're drifting from God in any of these areas we've mentioned, you know whether you are or not. And you know whether you are or not, whether I mention it or not. So, first of all, you've got to realize that you're adrift.
And secondly, here's the issue. The issue is repentance. Need to ask God to forgive me for failing to be the person He's called me to be. Repentance means, somebody says, Well, how do you define it? Just forget the definition and watch. Here's what repentance is. I'm drifting. I'm on my way doing my own thing. Here's what repentance is. That's not what God wants for my life. I repent of my sin and I'm heading toward being obedient to God.
Repentance is walking away from sin and being obedient to Holy God. It isn't just confessing sin. You can, listen, you can confess sin over, in other words, I don't intend to change. I intend to get my conscience cleared until my next opportunity. What an absolute atrocious idea. First of all, only God can forgive your sin, no preacher, no priest can forgive your sin. Secondly, sin is forgiven by the way of the cross. Jesus said He went to the cross and shed His blood to make it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins. You ask God to forgive you, not on the basis of you're going to do this and not do that, on the basis of His death at the cross, you're asking Him to forgive you. And so, I'm going to turn around and I'm going to walk a different way because I love Jesus.
If you can go to church or come to church and know in your heart the next week you're going to do the same thing, no matter what, that's hypocrisy. It's a sin. We are to repent of our sins which means we're to turn from it. This whole nation needs a big repentance revival. But we're talking about getting over your particular drift right now, and so there's repentance. And after repentance means, listen, I return to an attitude of submission to God. Lord, not what I want, but I want Your will. I want Your will, I want whatever pleases You, God, what pleases me.
And I think there are a lot of people who've never even been to that stage in their Christian life. Lord, I want what You want. It means repentance of our sin, turning away from our sin and submitting our life to Almighty God. That's how you stop drifting. So, I ask you this question. Are you drifting in some area of your life? Admit it, just to yourself or maybe you're sitting somewhere else at, in your home somewhere and, if you're by yourself, write it down. God, I'm drifting here and here and here and here. Write it down. Repent of each thing that He told you that you're drifting in. Tell God that you're not only sorry, but beginning today by His power you choose, you're choosing to follow His will for your life.
You say, Well, I don't even know what His will is. Tell Him. I don't know what Your will is, God, but if You'll just show me, I take the first step into what is unknown, Your will. I'm going to trust You that You've equipped me, enabled me and as bad as my situation is, and as poor as I am and all the rest, God, I am going to trust You. No more drifting, I got my hand on both paddles and we're going upstream and we're going to get upstream till we get to the end of the way, not going to drift any longer. There's not anybody here or anybody out there that cannot stop drifting if you want to, because God will enable you, bring you back to where you ought to be if you'll trust Him.
And Father, we thank You that we can say this without any question whatsoever, because You don't change. We love that part of You, Lord, along with all the rest of who You are, God who never changes. You've demonstrated Your love for us on the cross. You've been demonstrating Your love in the lives of your children all these years and we thank You that You will never change. Your love will always be here for us, and we say thank You for it, in Jesus' name, amen.