Sermons

This is the first of five warnings about drifting away from the faith in a time of persecution, by the Jews and by the Romans. Some persecution may have also come from family members. Our faith came to us while we were passive, enemies of God. We were called upon to respond in trust. Then he is moving us more into Christ-likeness. This involves confession and forgiveness. We respond in prayer, our needs and the desires of our hearts. We need to meditate upon His Word. We must hold fast, or pay attention, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. We must hold the course that has been set before us, or make sure that our anchor is holding fast. We need continual reminders about what we believe. Friends can influence us to drift away if we are not attentive. As we grow older, we need to pay closer attention. Emotional highs are fleeting. Asceticism doesn't bring us closer to God-- we must cling to the ordinary means of grace. Even if we begin small, the Holy Spirit will prosper our effort and discipline. He must be first in our lives. We have been adopted and are joint heirs. We can't stand still; we must be growing. God's Law and Word are reliable: what they teach is serious, and they point to Christ. The lesser (Law) is important; how much more important is the new covenant of Christ? There are consequences when we don't trust God. Examples are Nadab and Abihu and Ananias and Saphira. Another point is the trustworthiness of the testimony of the apostles.