“The Dangerous Drift”
8/11/24
1 Tim 4: 1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,”
James 5:19 “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”
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Now, we have two things described here in these very probing passages—
a DEPARTURE from the faith,
and a WANDERING from the truth.
—A DEPARTURE and a WANDERING.
Paul states that these 2 things will dramatically increase, particularly for those living in the last days preceding the return of Christ.
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Now, the word “depart” means to draw away, to decisively withdraw from a thing.
The word “wander” means to get off-course; to deviate from the correct path, to roam into error.
To “depart” describes a final decision to officially walk away from the faith.
To “wander” more describes a gradual process, a step by step, day by day drift over a period of time.
So we have a final decision to officially live a life apart from the truth, the truth being Jesus.
And we have the gradual process of getting there.
So the Bible predicts that in the last days as the return of Christ draws near there will be a large scale defection from the faith…
—the faith defined as trusting Christ as Savior and then living a life in keeping with the teaching of Scripture.
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Now today I want to focus on this second one—the process of WANDERING that leads to the final official defection.
Its important to note that the act of wandering is described in many different Bible passages—here are a few:
“All we like sheep have gone astray (wandered) by turning, every one, to his own way (over God’s way), and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”—Is. 53:6
So all of humanity (“all we”), by nature, are wanderers from the truth.
This is why David the psalmist prayed, “With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.”—Ps. 119:10
1 Tim 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
2 Tim 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound teaching, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away (wander) from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
Under the leading of the Spirit here, Paul writes that many will wander from the truth to embrace fables and myths, things not taught in Scripture.
- When you wander ‘away’ from something you generally wander ‘into’ something else!
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So let’s unpack this process of wandering.
FIRST, James says it begins with:
- Wandering from the truth
“If anyone among you wanders from the truth…”
And since Jesus said that he is the way, the truth, and the life, it is ultimately a wandering away from Jesus.
It is, as my title says, a dangerous drift.
ILLUS: For example, when you get onto that inflatable raft near the shore to take in some sun, that raft will quickly be pulled from the shoreline by what are called rip currents or undertows.
Rip currents are responsible for about 150 deaths every year in the United States——They are the number-one concern for beach lifeguards.
About 80 percent of all beach rescues are related to rip currents.
A person laying on that little raft listening to Jimmy Buffet and soaking in the sun are unaware of the slow but steady drift.
They lift their head after 15 or 20 minutes to realize they are far from the safety of the shore and have entered the danger zone where the sharks are hungry and the water is deep!
It’s the same with your spiritual walk.
Most spiritual rescues I’ve been involved with as a pastor are due to a gradual, step by step drifting away from the Lord.
A person wakes up to realize they are far from the safety of the shoreline of obedience to Christ, and are now swimming with the sharks of temptation—and dangerous compromises they never intended to give in to…
What started off as a little compromise here and a flirting with temptation there has become the riptide that drives them into an ocean of trouble!
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The signs of the drift are easy to spot—they are almost always signaled by a gradual departure from:
—church attendance,
—from Bible reading,
—from prayer,
—and fellowshipping with other believers.
In other words, the touch points God has given to his children to stay spiritually healthy become neglected and drop off one by one.
As the Scripture warns, “…not neglecting (forsaking, abandoning) meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”—Heb 10:25
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I have noted through the years that the wandering drifter is often unaware of what is even happening!
Hosea 7:9 “Strangers have eaten up his strength, yet he doesn’t know it; gray hairs are sprinkled here and there upon him, yet he doesn’t know it.”
In other words, the process of spiritual decay has begun as symbolized by loss of strength and the appearance of gray hair.
The drifter’s spiritual strength is ebbing and the gray hair of spiritual decay is beginning to show—AND THEY DON’T KNOW IT.
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SECOND, the unrepentant wanderer invariably begins to,
- Rationalize their drift
For instance, they may begin reinterpreting Scripture to accommodate the new lifestyle that is emerging.
Oh, God didn’t really say that,
or He didn’t really mean that,
or the Bible was just written by men,
or the Bible was translated and revised over and over for centuries so it can’t be trusted, and so on.
Instead of biblical theology shaping their lifestyle, they allow their lifestyle to shape their biblical theology.
Instead of the Word of God judging them, they start judging the word of God.
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So the drifter wanders from the truth, starts rationalizing their drift, and then third:
The drifter begins to,
III. Reinvent the real God into a god they can live with
Rather than follow the God the Bible presents, they begin reconfiguring a god of their own making——A god that is:
cool with their choices,
a god that doesn’t judge,
a god whose love excuses their decisions.
Instead of God creating man in His image, the drifter creates god in his own image.
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This is happening everywhere today! For instance:
—We now hear it taught from some pro-gay groups that Jesus was gay.
—Elsewhere we see a racial Jesus with artist renderings of a black Jesus, a white Jesus, a brown Jesus, an Indian Jesus.
—I was actually told this week that Jesus was a socialist and anti-capitalist.
—New Agers have created a cosmic Christ that offers a path to enlightenment like Buddha.
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This re-creation of god is what drifters and wanderers invariably end up doing so that they can live with their decisions.
They create a god in their own likeness that won’t rain on their parade.
Ps. 50:16-21 “But God says to evil men: Recite my laws no longer and stop claiming my promises, 17 for you have refused my discipline, disregarding my laws. 18 You see a thief and help him, and spend your time with evil and immoral men. 19 You curse and lie, and vile language streams from your mouths. 20 You slander your own brother. 21 I remained silent—You thought that I was just like you!”
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So according to the Bible, WANDERING believers will increase in these last days that:
- Drift away from the truth
- Rationalize their drifting
- Re-make the God of the Bible into a god that is good with their wandering lifestyle.
And who wind up in the shark infested waters of overwhelming temptations and destructive compromises!
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But I want to close this message with a word of HOPE!
If you’ve wandered from the Lord you can come home!
The God of mercy and forgiveness is calling out to you right now!
Listen to this incredible passage:
Jeremiah 3:22 “My wayward children,” says the Lord “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”