All right, the title of the sermon this morning is the backsliding heifer the backsliding heifer look down at your bibles at hosea chapter 4
And verse number 15. It says though thou israel play the harlot yet
Let not juda offend and come not ye unto gilgal neither go ye up to bethaven nor swear the lord liveth for israel
Slided back as a backsliding heifer. Now the lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place now
When we read the old testament, you know, god will often address the nation of israel as though they're an individual, right?
We obviously know that israel was was a literal individual
But when he addresses the nation of israel, he often just concises it and makes it as though he's talking to one person
And this is great because of the fact in the new testament the bible tells us that these things happen unto them
For our examples and they're written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come
So when god addresses israel as an individual we can actually apply that to ourselves in the new testament
And take it for a spiritual instruction reprovement
Etc. So we in the new testament as believers can take the instructions the warnings
The condemnation that god passes on to israel and apply it to ourselves and especially in this matter of backsliding
And in fact the word backsliding backslidden is found
More so in the old testament than it is in the new testament
And the term backsliders is basically used to describe the nation of israel forsaking the lord and reverting back to idolatrous practices
We see that coming throughout the bible, right? We see that in the old testament that israel would be right with god
They would serve the lord. They do the proper sacrifices
They keep the sabbaths they obey his commandments
But then another generation would arise who would forsake the lord
They would leave the sanctuary
They'd serve the gods the pagan gods that surrounded them of the nations that were surrounding them and they would backslide
They would revert back to those practices
And the idea of a backslider or backsliding
Is that at one point they were going forward, right?
But now in light of their sin, they are sliding backwards. They're going astray. They're forsaking the lord
Let me read to you from isaiah chapter 1 verse 3. It says the ox knoweth his owner and the ass is master's crib
But israel does not know my people does not consider all sinful nation
A people laid in with iniquity a seed of evildoers children are corruptors. They have forsaken the lord
They have provoked the holy one of israel unto anger. They are gone away
Back where the bible says in hosea chapter 14, you don't have to turn there. He says in verse number one
Oh israel return unto the lord thy god for thou has fallen by thy iniquity
It says take with you words and turn to the lord say unto him take away all iniquity and receive us graciously
So will we render the calves of our lips verse 4 says I will heal their backslidings
I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him
This is constantly being talked about when in reference to the nation of israel getting away from god now in hosea chapter 4
We find a very interesting analogy, right?
Because he says there look down at your bibles at uh chapter 4
Verse 16 for israel slided back how as a backsliding heifer now, this is pretty funny, isn't it?
Like he's like calling him a heifer and you know
Why would he use that? Well
Why would god choose to use livestock to characterize the reverting back or going astray?
A heifer simply a cow and more specifically it's actually a cow that has not borne calves
Okay, but it's a cow and when you think of a cow, you know, this is livestock. That's pretty heavy
Right
And it's an animal that's very weighty. And in fact the average female cow weighs approximately 1600 pounds pretty heavy
And it's actually been observed that with cows that when they begin to graze
They will actually refuse to go uphill to graze on a mountain or on a hill
They'd actually prefer to stay around the contours of that hill. They don't want to go up and work for their food
So now picture this picture a cow that weighs up to 1600 pounds
Trying to make their weight upward going up a hill what is going to hinder and impede that animal from making it to the top
The weight right because eventually it's so heavy
that it's going to revert and backslide and just continue to go around the contours and the outlining of
The mountain there now this is true of israel. Why is that? Well
Israel they love the lord, but they got away and in fact the weight of the vanity the sin
The idolatry and paganism basically precipitated their downward spiral spiral to the point where they hit rock bottom
God had to chastise them and whoop them and basically scourge them in order to get them to come back onto him
Now the same can be said of us, right?
You know when we allow sin into our lives when we begin to backslide, you know
God will basically use that and he'll use the consequences of those sins and he'll begin to chastise us as well in order to get
Us to come back to him and in fact, we can be basically
You know characterized as a backsliding heifer because just as the heifer is very weighty
The bible actually tells us wherefore seeing the year compassed about so with so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us lay aside every what wait
And the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us and so, you know
We can characterize the christian life as going forward
You know, we just sung the song i'm pressing on the upward way
Why is that because we're going up right?
We're seeking to to get closer to god. We want to serve him love him more every single day
We don't want to revert back to old sins
We don't want to backslide and forsake the lord forsake church forsake bible reading that which is very much important
But what will cause us to do that the weights?
Right being a backsliding heifer a fat cow
That has so much weight that it's going to impede us from going forward for the lord
The bible says in philippians chapter 3 go with me if you would to jeremiah chapter number eight
It says brethren I count on myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do
forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth into those things which are before I
Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of god in christ. Jesus, you know, we want to avoid
the pit of backsliding
You know, we want to avoid forsaking the lord. Now. What does that look like when we say this person forsook the lord?
Well, you know people don't like this but in but reality is it's like when you leave church
And you don't come back like oh you can't say someone is backslidden because they're not going to church, you know, jesus christ
Gave his life for the church
You know
He purchased the church with his own blood and the bible literally says forsake not the assembly
Of ourselves together as the manner of some is but so much the more as you see the day approaching
Church attendance is very much important to god, right bible reading is important
Soul winning is important all these things collectively are important to the lord
But you know, we can rest assured that if someone leaves church
It's just the fruit of the fact that they're probably in a backslidden state. Okay, why because we know that that's an integral part of our lives
You know the assembling of ourselves together the fellowship and the preaching of god's word listening to these things
This is important to god and when people forsake the lord, you know pop, you know
Often the thing to go first is church attendance
Begin to make excuses why we can't go begin to make reasons why something else is more important than church attendance
This is what it looks like. Now. Let me just say this is that backsliding is common throughout the bible
Why is that because it's just common to human nature
Okay, you know, you're not like a heathen if you backslide and you trip and you fall, you know
This is unfortunately it is common. This is something that is common to man
You look throughout the bible you find backsliders backsliders all over the place from leaders to you know
Just regular servants of the lord you have for example, saul
Saul unfortunately backslid and guess what? He finished his life in that state
That's a sad place to be and the bible tells us, you know
A just man fallen seven times and rises up again
But there are times when people backslide so hard there's no coming back from that
And you think of saul being an example of that how about samson
Samson was one of the strongest men that ever lived in the bible
He was going to be used greatly of god as one of the judges the spirit of the lord would come upon him
And he would do great exploits for the lord delivering god's people from the hand of the philistines and his enemies
But what happened he finished his life and not so good of a way, right? I mean he ended up committing suicide
He because of his fornication and his pride and arrogance. He he fell he backslid and he finished his life that way
You know, how about solomon?
One of the wisest men that ever lived
You know god imparted into him divine wisdom to write the book of proverbs to write the book of
Ecclesiastes to write songs and whatnot and he was used greatly, but you know what he was carried away
By the pagan wives that he married and the concubines that he had
And eventually he just forsook the lord and he finished his life that way he backslid. How about in the new testament? You have peter
Peter's pretty hardcore
This guy was like man i'll go with you into prison
I'll, you know, though though
You go into prison. I will go with i'll die with you. I mean if people followed his lead, but what happened?
He actually forsook the lord for a season and and thank god he bounced back
Right, he bounced back. He got back on board and god was still able to use him in a great way
Thereafter, but he backslidden the bible tells us demons hath forsaken me having loved this present world. What does that mean?
He backslid and we don't know if demons bounced back or not or if he got right with god or not
We just know that for all eternity. He will be known as the person who forsook the lord because he loved his present world
You know backsliding can really damage your life. It could damage the lives of those around you now look at jeremiah chapter 8 verse 5
The bible says in verse 5 why then is this people of jerusalem slitting back
By a perpetual backsliding they hold fast to see they refuse to return now
No one's perfect. We make mistakes we sin every day
But the the the goal is is that when we sin we get right immediately
You know, you never want to allow a space of time when you're backsliding to be elongated for two for too long
You know, you don't want to be in that state of perpetually backsliding
What happens when you perpetually backslide eventually
You're going to forsake the things of god
You're going to forsake the house of god your bible reading the point is is that when you sin when you do wrong?
You you notice it immediately you confess it before the lord you repent of it and you get right with god
You know if we confess our sins
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness the bible says
You know, we need to take advantage of that and make sure that every day we're getting right with god
We're being good repenters, right because we want to avoid
Being a perpetual backslider because once you're perpetually backsliding it's harder to get back
It's a lot more difficult
You know if a cow
Is making a way it's way uphill and it's almost to the top it begins to revert back and slide back
Once they hit rock bottom, it's actually harder to be motivated to go back to the top
Right because you put so much work into going to the top you put so much work into going forward
You put so much work into your bible reading and to improving yourself as a christian
When you hit rock bottom when you come back to the bottom of the mountain
It's very difficult to make your way back up again now. It's possible
Absolutely, but you know you get someone who's been out of church for years
They haven't read their bible for years. It's difficult to get back on the board back back on board again
It's difficult to just start opening up your bible reading again
Making it back to church and the reality is you have satan the flesh and the world combating you in this area
You know putting you down discouraging you making you depressed and you just make excuses to say well
Maybe maybe next year i'll get back into it, you know, maybe next month i'll get back back into it
Reality is you need to do it today
Okay. Now there's this false teaching by by lane comfort that says, you know, there's no such thing as a backsliding christian
only false conference
So he says like the backsliding does not exist amongst christians
Now, what does this tell you about him? This tells you he does not read the bible
Because it's found multiple times. The word is literally found multiple times in the bible
In regards to a nation forsaking the lord and god admonishing them to return back unto him, right?
And you'll say this. Well, there's no such thing as a backsliding christian
There's only false conference because he has this doctrine that if you're saved you're always going to be in church
If you're saved, you're always going to be repenting. You're never going to do wrong, you know, it's a sinless perfection false doctrine heresy
That basically tells people well if they went out from us
They were not of us for if they had been of us they would have no doubt continued with us
That's that's talking about false prophets. Yeah, right. Let's talk about people who are anti-christ like judas, okay
Backsliding
Is commonplace in the church
Today in our church today. It's it's common amongst christians
And in fact the bible even tells us the steps of a good man are ordered by the lord though he fall
Yet, you know the bible says he will not utterly be cast down for the lord upholdeth him with his hand
So what does that tell us?
It tells us even if a person falls into sin they fall out of church to get away from god
The bible literally tells us they will not utterly be cast down
Why because he's just such a great christian a great man of god that he's just going to stay on the right path
No matter what. No, it tells us because the lord
Upholdeth him with his hand the bible tells go to hebrew chapter number 10 if you would hebrew chapter number 10
What i'm saying is this is that you know when people backslide doesn't mean they lose their salvation
Because we know it's impossible to lose your salvation
Okay
But there's people out there that want to teach that and they actually use this scare tactic to say
Well, if you get out of church, you know, you're you're you're you're you might lose your salvation and you know
You might you might fall from grace
And if you're saved by grace or faith
You know might want to check your salvation
No
Look what the bible says in hebrew chapter 10, by the way
Same chapter where we find the bible telling us forsake not the assembly of our of ourselves together, you know
Not forsaking church. Look what it says in hebrew 10 verse 38 now the just shall live by faith
But if any man draw back now, what does that mean? It means to go backwards, right?
It means to forsake god it means to backslide if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him now
This is correct. Amen
What is it telling us? You know, if we backslide god's not pleased with that
It doesn't matter how many excuses you make
It doesn't matter how many good reasons you have to get out of church. God is not pleased, right?
If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him verse 39
But we are not of them who draw back unto what perdition
So it's like by the way, if you draw back you're not going to go to hell
Because we are not of them that draw back into perdition but what but of them that believe to the saving of the soul
So it says look even if you draw back you just get in the worst condition the worst sin the worst whatever
Hey, thank god, you're still saved
Because you're not of them that will draw back into perdition. We believe to the saving of the soul
Hey, you shall be saved yet. So as by fire
You know, you might lose all the eternal rewards
You may not be able to be used by god in a great way if you're just out there
You know sinning and and forsaking god
But at the end of the day if you're saved you're saved and thank god for that
But just know this my soul shall have no pleasure in him
You know, we want god to be pleased with us. Do we not and he doesn't expect perfection
What he expects is just obedience
And when we make a mistake, we confess it before god we get right we repent and and we just get back into the fold
Amen, amen
You know, it's a horrible feeling when you're backsliding
Okay, it's a horrible feeling when you're just out of church or or your heart is not right with god
And i'll get into that in just a bit. You know, it's a beautiful feeling
When you get right with god, right and you know, we as david can say, you know create within me a clean heart
Renew a right spirit within me, you know restoring to me the joy of thy salvation. What does backsliding do?
Well, it robs you of your joy
You're no longer you're no longer happy, you know, there's something missing well, what is that it's obedience to the lord
It's being with the brethren
It's being able to read the word of god and still have a tear because you know that you have god's favor on your life
You know, you know that god is blessing you
It's it's knowing man. I'm right with god. I know that i'm right with god, you know
It robs you of these things go with me if you would
to
Go to jeremiah chapter 15 jeremiah chapter 15. So what does backsliding do it robs your joy
Doesn't matter how much you enjoy your sin at the present moment. The bible says that the pleasures of sin are for a season
It's only going to last for a little bit, you know bread of the sea is sweet
But you know afterwards thy mouth shall be filled with gravel the bible says, you know
You can enjoy sin for a month for a week for even a year
But at the end of the day afterwards thy mouth shall be filled with gravel. You're going to despise it
You're going to hate it and you're going to realize the consequences of your sin was not worth it, right?
So it robs you of your joy
Look at jeremiah 15 verse 5. It says for who shall have pity upon thee o jerusalem
Or who shall bemoan thee or who shall go aside to ask how thou doest
Thou has forsaken me saith the lord thou are gone backward
Therefore I will stretch out my hand against thee to what and destroy thee
I am weary with repenting. So what does backsliding do it robs you of your joy?
But guess what? It also causes god to chastise you it causes god's hand to be against you
Why is that because if you're a child of god, which means that if you're saved god will chastise those whom he loves
Or in hebrew chapter 12, right? He scourges every son whom he received the bible says
And you know god knows how to hit you where it hurts
He knows how to get you where it hurts to get your attention and you don't want to live like that
You know, you don't want to live your life always being chastised by god because eventually god will just say you know
What i'm just going to take you home
So you don't finish your life in shame. I'm going to allow you to just go home right away
I don't want that for my life
I want to live as long as I possibly can to serve the lord to see more people safe to see my children grow up
Right to do great exploits for him because that's what that's what god wants for me
I don't want to revert to plan b where god just has to destroy my life because i'm not willing to get right with him
You know where his hand is against me. I want his hand to be on me
For his favor. I don't want it to be against me. You understand
Look what it says in jeremiah chapter 2 jeremiah chapter 2
So backsliding robs you of your joy
You're no longer happy you become grumpy and angry and what do you do you begin to blame everyone?
Well as the pastor
You know, you know, he he he didn't call me one time or he didn't answer my text message or you know
He preached a sermon. I knows about me
or you know
You know as a person in church and they offended me and oh, I don't agree with this doctrine or whatever by the way
Mark it down sometimes when people leave our church
They've been backsliding backsliding long ago
And they use another reason to say why they left
You know, they're like, well, I don't agree with this doctrine pastor. Mahia preaches or whatever, you know, you know
I heard he said that if you doubt your salvation, you know, you're not even safe. I don't agree with that
And what they'll do is they'll use that as an excuse
Even though they're already backslidden. They just need a reason to leave
So they don't want to they don't want to go to the pastor or the church and say i'm backslidden. So i'm i'm gonna leave
Because I don't want to be here because i'm backslidden
So instead to say face they'll just say well, I don't agree with you on this doctrine or I don't like this person
I just don't feel welcome here anymore
You know people are mean to me
I just feel like i'm not growing
They'll use an external reason something that's not true
To basically make up for the fact that they are backslidden, okay?
Look at jeremiah 2 verse 17 says has thou not procured this unto thyself
And that thou has forsaken the lord thy god when he led thee by the way
And now what hast thou to do in the way of egypt to drink waters of saihor?
Or what hast thou to do in the way of assyria to drink the waters of the river thine own wickedness
Shall correct thee
And thy backslidings shall reprove thee
Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter that thou has forsaken the lord thy god
And that my fear is not in thee saith the lord of hosts
What is he saying aside from the fact that god's hand is against you?
Guess what? You also have to deal with the fact that the repercussions of your sin
Your own wickedness shall correct thee
Your backsliding shall reprove thee why because there are built-in consequences to sin
So sometimes god doesn't even need to chastise you you just get chastised by your own stupid actions
They already have built-in ramifications and consequences
That can be devastating to your life and guess what when you know it, you know it
You know, man, this is my fault. I did this, you know
The wicked my wickedness and my backslidings have reproved me and look it's good because at that point you recognize
I need to get back, you know to church. I need to get back to god. I need to return unto him, right?
So we want to avoid backsliding and again look there might be someone in here who's backsliding
Maybe they've been backsliding for a couple days
But the point is this is that you just get right with god
Immediately. Amen, you know, you just you confess it before the lord you get a good night's rest you get yourself a triple triple
You take you got to look use the elijah formula
Right. I don't want to die
And god's like you need to go to sleep
I'll bring a raven to feed you and he ate he
He he ate he slept and then he ate and woke up and ate again and slept again, right?
Sometimes that's what you need
Sometimes people just need a break. Okay, but here's the thing not a break from church
A break from church
Not a break from your bible reading not a break from your spiritual habits that are good
You just need a break from just yourself sometimes, you know
And just slow down a little bit. We want to avoid backsliding as much as possible
So how the heifer slides back and how can we counter how do we as christians end up in a perpetual?
Backslid and stay go with me if you went to acts chapter seven acts chapter number seven
Acts chapter number seven
We're talking about the backsliding heifer I don't want you to be a backsliding heifer
You know and we as sheep can become can transform into cows
Why because then we get all this weight we get all this vanity
We increase our sinfulness and we do things we're not supposed to do and that causes us to revert back to go back to old
Ways and to backslide and forsake the lord. So number one, how does a person begin to backslide?
Well, let me say this number one it begins in the heart
Actually begins in the heart
What do I mean by that? Well, you know
It begins when you begin to entertain
The possibilities of being back in the world again
Going back to old friends having fun again
You know you name it that's where it begins begins with your thoughts. Look at act seven verse 38 says
This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in mount sinai
With our fathers who received the lively oracles to give unto us to whom our fathers would not obey
But thrust him from them and in their hearts
Turn back again into egypt
That says saying unto erin make us gods to go before us for as this moses
We which brought us out of the land of egypt. We want not what has become of him
Did they have something against moses? No, they just wanted to go back to egypt in their hearts
So when you begin to entertain the possibilities of life outside of church
Outside of the service of the lord. That's where it begins
when you begin to like look at your friends and your neighbors and the joneses then you see all the money that they have
And the possessions that they have and you know, your buddy gets to sleep in on sunday
You know, he doesn't have to go soul winning
He doesn't have to do all these things if he seems to be having a good time you begin to entertain the fact
Well, maybe I should just get out of church
Maybe I should just take a break
And get out of church for a couple months just kind of just you know, I need to put it on cruise control
There's no such thing as cruise control in the christian life
There's only forward or backward
You know now you can slow down
You can you know, put it into second gear you can put it into first gear, but you always have to be going forward
If not, you will go back and it begins in your heart, you know
And this is common in the bible as well where people begin to look at the evildoers
That's why god is constantly telling us people. Hey, you know envy not the evildoer
Don't envy wicked people who seem to be prospering in their way
and look
Maybe god allows some people to prosper in this world who are not saved in order for them to see the goodness of god
And it would cause them to seek out the lord and get saved. Amen
So don't look at them and say well, you know, they're having fun or or maybe it's going well with them
They're able to pay their bills, you know, they got a job. They're not struggling like me
Why maybe I need to go back into the world. No, that's not that's not the answer
The answer is this this world is not our home
We need to recognize. You know what? We're just sojourning in this world. This isn't our home
You know, our home is a lot nicer than this
You know, we have we have mansions prepared for us. Our lord is there
You know, there's there's so many things that we have to look forward to but what happens is people sometimes they set their affections
On the things of this earth. This is why the bible tells us setting out your affections on the things of this world
But but on on heaven, right?
It tells us to make sure that we protect our heart
Now go with me if you would to uh, go to second corinthians chapter three
I think I got the wrong verse here
Sorry second corinthians chapter 10 go to second corinthians chapter 10
I'm going to read to you from jeremiah chapter 7. So how do we counter this?
Because everyone gets these imaginations
Don't tell me you don't
I don't I don't miss the world. I don't miss you know, the things of course you do because you have the flesh
And look your type of world may be may be different from my type of world
My type of world is different from someone else in the church
But at the end of the day, you know
There's something in our hearts that still desires those things and it's because of the fact that we have the flesh
You know, maybe you got saved later on in life. You came to the christian life with baggage, you know
There's certain appetites that you might have that are more destructive than others
But at the end of the day the world is still the world and you can still be tempted by the world
That's why you got to protect our hearts
The bible says in jeremiah 7 22 for I spake not unto your fathers nor commanded them in the day that I brought them
Out of the land of egypt concerning the burnt offerings or sacrifices
But this thing commanded I them saying obey my voice and I will be your god and you shall be my people
And walk ye in all the ways that i've commanded you that it may be well with you, but they harken not
Nor incline their ear but walked in the counsels and the imagination
Of their evil heart and went backward and not forward. You see that's why it's important for you to be in church
Right and not only that but when you hear preaching you don't just reject it but you consider it right you take it into account
You listen to it. You try to obey it and don't follow the imaginations of your evil heart
Look, uh, you're in second corinthians chapter 10. Look down your bibles at verse number
Five it says casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of god
Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of christ
So look
When you get this imagination you begin to entertain the possibilities of going out into the world
Man, I need to go hang out with my buddies so we can go pick up on some chicks
I want to go back with my girlfriend so we can go clubbing
Whatever it is that people do nowadays do clubs even exist anymore
Maybe that was like a 90s thing
You use your equivalent, okay
You know when you get begin to get those thoughts, you know, what does the bible say cast down those imaginations?
You know and every high thing and it says you need to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of christ
So it's like you're spiritually when you get that thought you just gotta like shake it off, right?
Like I can't think that way, you know, don't let your mind control you you need to control your mind
Your mind needs to be in subjection to you
You need it needs to work for you
You use it to think upon that which is lovely and righteous and true
You use it to memorize scripture you use it to think upon the lord
You use it to become a better person to be smarter to have more knowledge
Don't use it or don't allow your mind to use you as a vessel to basically flesh out what it's thinking
Right. So when it's thinking man, I want to go and do this in you know, I say shut up
We're not doing that
We're going to go to church. We're going to listen to some preaching. I want I want to have ears to hear
Hey brain, I want you to remember what's being preached
I want you to think about the scriptures brain
You know, I want to I want you to read books. I want you to read the bible
I want you to entertain godly thoughts instead of entertaining fleshly things entertain the possibility of you winning someone to christ
Like man, you know, I want to I want to win this person over why don't you win someone to jesus instead?
You know, imagine yourself if you've never gone. So why don't you entertain the thoughts?
Of winning your first person to christ
Why don't you entertain the possibilities of of raising your children for god
Why don't you entertain the possibility of being a pastor one day?
If you're qualified, right?
If you've not disqualified yourself
Entertain the possibilities of how god can use you. You see the imagination is a wonderful thing
I love having an imagination
Because you know god says that he calls those things which are not as though they work
And that is an imagination
It's when we can imagine what could possibly happen within the next five years 10 years 20 years
with our family with our church and it helps us to just
Envision the possibilities but you know what that can turn against us as well
And our imagination can be used against us to to basically imagine wicked things that will take us out of church
Because look if you imagine something for example sinning or whatever it may be eventually if you keep entertaining those thoughts, it's gonna happen, right?
You imagine man, I wonder what it's like to commit adultery or for singles, you know
I wonder what it's like to fornicate, you know
Just to have a girlfriend and or have a boyfriend and have this physical relationship if you entertain those thoughts enough. It's gonna happen
But you know, I think about this if you entertain godly thoughts
That can happen too
Right, you're like man. I wonder what it's like to win my first person to christ
I wonder what it's like to go on a mission trip and you just keep thinking about it and thinking about it thinking about it
Eventually, it's going to motivate you to actually go and do it
And that's what god wants, right?
The bible tells us keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of
Life colossians 3 1 says if you've never been risen with christ seek those things which are above
Where christ sitteth on the right hand of god set your affections on things above not on the things of this earth
The bible tells us that demas has forsaken paul having loved this present world and is departed unto thessalonica
First john 2 15 says love not the world
Neither the things that are in the world if any man loved the world the love of the father is not in him. Hey
Check yourself. Do you love the world?
You know, well, I love the world and I love god impossible
You can't
Well, I just love certain things of this world and my affection is still there, but I still love god
No
You're you're deceiving yourself because the bible tells us that if you love these things the love of the father is not in you
This is not referring to the fact that god doesn't love you anymore. There's nothing that can separate us from the love of god
Right, it can't separate. There's nothing that we can do that can cause god to not love us anymore
He will always love the bible says that he'll love us with an everlasting love
But you know, there's certain things we can do that can cause us to not love him
And when we begin to entertain the world
And we allow the world to captivate us
You know at that point our love for the lord can diminish
you know
That's one thing we can't waver on is our love for god, right?
Because that's the the the vehicle of motivation that god gives us in order to keep serving him
The love of christ constrained us the bible says right
You know whether someone offends you or you don't agree with something or something catastrophic happens in your life
You know at the end of the day you can say to yourself i'm not going to leave church
I'm, not going to stop reading my bible. I'm not going to stop being a godly parent for my children because I love the lord
I love god, right and you may be thinking to yourself. Well, i've gone past that point
You know, I backslid or i've backslid him then you know what if you love me keep my commandments
How can you correct that you just begin to keep the commandments of god again you begin to obey the lord
And incrementally make your way back
That's what this is. Why god says draw nigh to me and i'll draw nigh to you, right?
If you begin to make steps going back to the lord
He will meet you more than halfway
To get you right with him, okay
So make church and preaching a necessity now go to psalm 73
Now I know there's these like house church idiots out there
And they're just like well i'm right with god and I don't need church
You know the church. Why is it? Why do you guys go to church on sundays? Why is there only one leader?
We should all be leaders. Okay. Okay. Cora, dathan and abiram
Right
Church is necessary
And you can measure
A successful christian based upon their attendance right if they come to church and they're here. They're faithful
You're like, oh that's cold. Like no cold. Like if I say lock the doors
Right we're taking three offerings today lock the doors you can never leave
That's not cold light
To say the church is a necessity. I don't force anybody to stay here
In fact, sometimes I force people to get out
right
Why is church so necessary in order for us not to backslide
Well, look at psalm 73 verse 1 truly. God is good to israel
Even to such as our clean heart but as for me
My feet were almost gone
My steps had well nice slip for I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity
Of the wicked so this guy's having like a pity party
He's like god's good
But me, you know, what was me?
And he's like I was envious at the foolish and he begins to go over a list of things that the wicked have
That he doesn't have
And he's just kind of complaining and just murmuring and he's just like man. I almost fell almost
Well, nice slip but look what it says in verse 16
When I thought to know this it was too painful for me, you know
All this prosperity of the wicked all the things that they have and I don't but hold on a second verse 17 until
I went into the sanctuary of god
Then understood I their end
So he's just like man. I was so envious at my buddies who were in the world
I was so envious at all these people who are just doing better than me until I went to church
And then I understood either end
What is he saying? Well, I know what where that type of lifestyle leads to
Because I went to the house of god and they preached the word of god and I learned you know what?
Phooey with this lifestyle
Because I know where that leads
You know, you see your buddies and they're just living a a a promiscuous life, you know
They're committing adultery on their wives, or maybe they're just fornicating or they're doing drugs. They're drinking
You're like man, it looks so fun. But hold on a second if you come to church
If you go to the assembly of god pastor
is going to rip on those things and tell you how you can get an std if you do so
Tell you to get cirrhosis of the liver if you continue drinking tell you you're going to be a stupid idiot if you smoke pot
You know will make sin look exceedingly sinful and what happens then you're like, well, I don't believe that anymore
Doesn't look that fun anymore
Yeah, because now, you know the repercussions of that type of lifestyle
You know when children are being born out of weillock and your child is a bastard
When you contract hiv or some type of std gonorrhea chlamydia when you get herpes
You shouldn't talk about that. No, we need to make it look exceeding sinful
In order for people to realize why am I envying?
these people
They're miserable
They have herpes
They have stds
You know, yeah, you're you have to wake up early to come to church
But guess what your buddy who drank last night is vomiting his guts out
Because of all the alcohol that he drank the night before right?
Oh so fun, but now he's he's he's got this this crazy headache
He's drinking clamato
He's trying to overcome it and you're in here smiling drinking some coffee
Fellowshiping thinking about the things of god. Hey, you look like you're doing pretty well now
In comparison to your buddy your envious hat, you know
When you get down in the dumps and you begin to look at the luster of this world and begin to envy
The prosperity of the wicked come to church
And i'll remind you
What the end of that person is?
And when you're reminded of that you're like, wow, why did I even envy such an idiot?
Why did I envy this woman? Why did I envy this man? Why did I envy these group of people?
They're like miserable actually
You know, yeah, but you know, they get to stay home and smoke pot and watch cartoons
Eating a bowl of cereal
That's loser status right there
You are a loser a brain dead idiotic
Loser with no purpose in life and look some of those guys they like have children and their wives work for them
You know they work and they stay home and they do all these things but hold on a second
Is that really successful though?
Yeah, he may be feeding the the lust of the flesh right now
He may be designing those things right now, but you know what at the end of the day at the end of their life
They have nothing to show for it
That's why it's important to come to the house of god
To be reminded of these things
Let me say that that's why it's important that you are in a leather lung hellfire brimstone preaching church
Because you know if you go to some lame church where the preaching so watered down
You know, you just get a cup of water every single service that you come to and they're not ripping on these things
You're gonna say well, yeah that life is it does look way better
You know and in fact this pastor seems to tolerate it
So guess what I can have both
I can fornicate I can drink
I can smoke pot and be in church, too
Because the pastor likes my time
That's how some churches are
Whereas here we scare the fire at it
We tell you if you're a drunkard if you're involved in fornication
idolatry covetousness
Extortion you can't be here
So you might as well just go all in
So that god can chastise you that we just give you over for the destruction of the flesh
Get right with god and you come back. Amen
So it this is why it's important to be in church
In order to avoid backsliding and you know what if you're backslidden this morning
I hope this got you right with god
To say man, why am I envious? This is correct and it's not like i'm correct. The bible's correct
All right, the bible's telling us don't envy these people they're going to be destroyed go to hosea chapter 11
Hosea chapter number 11. We need to get back to making sin look exceeding sinful
Not flowery and pretty we need to say this is ugly
This is destructive. This will ruin my life. It'll ruin my children's life. It'll ruin my wife's life
It'll ruin my husband's life if I allow myself to get involved in these things. Let me say this when you backslide, okay?
When you decide to just go all out and backslide you not only affect yourself
You affect the people around you and unfortunately you affect the people who love you
You you affect the people that you love
What's an example of this well think about think about lot think about abraham, you know when abraham
Backslid and he went into egypt because of the famine
You know, he took lot with him and you know what abraham was able to bounce back, right?
He got right with god began to serve god, but unfortunately lot had developed an appetite for the world
This is why when they split he chose a certain planes that were likened unto those in egypt
And that eventually led him to pitch his tent towards sodom and we know how that ended up. He ended up living in sodom
Okay
And what happened to lot? Well, he ended up losing his wife
the purity of his daughters
His son-in-laws were destroyed he might he might have been happy about that though, you know
You know, he did he destroyed his life, but you know what he backslid but you know what?
He didn't he wasn't the only one that went he took his family with him
Because why did lot's wife turn and look back?
Probably because she still had an appetite for egypt
So just keep in mind, you know when you backslide you never go alone
You always take someone with you
And you may be able to bounce back and get right with god and do right
But those who followed you may not have that same fortitude and discipline and character and love
And they may just stay where you led them to
scary thought
Even more so if you're a parent
You know if you backslide and your children follow you you may be able to bounce back
You may force your children to come back to church and all these things but eventually, you know
If they develop some bad appetites while they're out in the world, you can't change their heart
Yeah
They have to change their own heart, but do you want to roll that dice?
I'd rather keep my kids in church. I'd rather be in church
I'd rather stay right with god not only because I love the lord because I love my children. I love my wife
You know and I know the ramifications I may be able to bounce back. I can come back to church
You know, i've been i've been doing this for a long time, but what about my children?
They don't they don't have the same amount of experience in the christian life as I do
And they may stay out there. This is a good motivation to not backslide, right?
Don't be selfish
But the second reason is this so one it begins in the heart. We go back to egypt in our hearts
You can be in church and just like man. I wish I wish I could be out there. I wonder what it's like
And you need to cast down that imagination
But here's another reason is that people backslide because they just refuse to grow
They refuse to grow and let me say this coming to church is a great start
But you need to grow yourself
Okay, in other words when you're hearing the preaching apply the preaching
And seek to better yourself
Every single day every single week become a better christian grow learn something new
Okay, and i'm not just talking about doctrine obviously you need to learn doctrine, but how about just learning to be a better wife?
Be a better husband. How about just learning to be a better employee, right? These are things where areas where you need to grow in
Look at hosea chapter 11
In verse number seven it says and my people are bent to backsliding from me
Though they call them to the most high none at all would exalt
Him the bible says in jeremiah 5 6 wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them
And a wolf of the evening shall spoil them a leopard shall watch over their cities
Everyone that goeth out fence shall be torn in pieces because their transgressions are many
And their backslidings are increased go to second peter chapter number one
So we backslide
When we refuse to grow
You know, we no longer put in the effort to grow ourselves
We become apathetic towards the things of things of god and look i've been there
I've been there many times
throughout my christian life where you just
You kind of get doing the mundane just kind of seems rough sometimes, you know, because the newness wears off
Does it not you come to church like that? This is great
You know, I can't wait to hear the next sermon on homos and post-trip or replacement. The odds is great
But then six months into it one year into it a year and a half into it the newness will always wear off
It always happens that way. It's called the honeymoon
All right, when you go on the honeymoon, it's like this is great. We love each other
And then you start living you start, you know living together after marriage and then you realize like man
His feet stink
His socks is he's just he's just a messy person
You know
And you're like man, I remember we're so happy before
Well, it's because the newness wears off sometimes but look here's here's here's the antidote to that
Is that you need to make sure that you grow
Right, like for example spouses in order for them to continue to to keep their their marriage vibrant. They need their love to grow
Because before it's just like you want to get married with her you want to get married with him he's so handsome
You know, she's so beautiful
And it's just this physical attraction. Of course, there's an emotional attraction there, but you know, don't stay there
Obviously you should continue to think your spouse is attractive, but you know, your love should grow after them
In other words, you should become like best friends with your spouse
Right because here's the thing
Looks are great
But you do understand that people get old, right?
And like 20 30 40 50 years from now, they're not going to look the same when you first married them
You know
Things start to sag a little bit
the
hair color begins to change
And you know what if you're still stuck on that love because you're just attracted to them. It's it's going to be a bad marriage
You know your love needs to grow right?
You need to grow yourself as a husband you grow yourself as and I don't mean like physically, okay?
Like
Which that happens sometimes, you know
You get married and it's just like all right. She's mine now. So just like wolf down all the bad foods you can
You don't believe in divorce. So
But you know you need to grow yourself in order to keep that relationship vibrant, right?
Well in like manner, you know in the christian life we come into the christian life
We get we got saved, you know, we love sony the king james bible
All these things are great and you know now we got a church
You know, we're listening to preaching we got fellowship, but then the newness wears off
So, how do you counter that? Yeah, you have to continue growing
growing yourself
Because there's only so much I can do for you
I'm preaching three times a week. I can help you on an individual basis if you ask for it
But at the end of the day you have to grow yourself
Okay
Now why do people become apathetic towards the christian life? Well, sometimes it's just laziness
Like I don't feel like reading my bible I don't feel like growing or like working in this area of my life
How about sometimes it's just offenses, you know, they get offended in church and they're like, well, i'm not gonna read my bible
I'm not gonna go i'm not gonna go solo. I'm not gonna try to improve myself
Sometimes it's discouragement and depression
You go through some traumatic experience in your life and it has you down in the dumps. How many of you've ever been discouraged and depressed?
Okay
It's normal that's in the bible too
And often when you're discouraged and depressed you just have zero desire
To just like it's like it's like you're just barely making it
Right where you're just like your head's above water. You can't even like do the second mile. You're having trouble even doing the first
You know what I mean? So that happens sometimes depression discouragement being disillusioned. Sometimes it's just unconfessed sin, okay
Now look at second peter chapter one verse eight. It says for if these things be in you and abound
They make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our lord. Jesus christ
He's speaking about these seven qualities. He says look you gotta you know, add to your faith virtue to virtue knowledge, etc
He says give all diligence to these things verse eight says but he that lacketh these things is blind
And cannot see afar off and has forgotten. He was perched from his old sins wherefore the rather brethren give
Diligence to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things
Ye shall never fall the bible says look if you're constantly growing you're not going to revert back
If you're constantly working on your life, you know, you're not going to go back to the world
You're not going to do those things that are not pleasant unto the lord
You're going to continue to grow but you have to have diligence. You have to grow yourself
Okay
Don't expect
You know godly character to happen by osmosis just because you come to church
Obviously, you'll you'll you'll be encouraged, you know, people can motivate you people can inspire you but at the end of the day
It's up to you
Whether you're going to grow, okay
The bible says in psalm 18 verse 36 thou has enlarged my steps under me that my feet did not
slip
Go with me if you would to proverbs 14 proverbs 14
So
You got to continue to grow
You know, hey if you never cooked a meal in your life, that's a good area to grow in ladies. Amen
Because look we need goals
Right, we need goals. We need to be striving for something
We need to strive to become better parents to be able to teach our children
And look if you say well, I have all those things down back already
I'm a pretty decent mom pretty decent dad, you know, we got our kids in check. Okay, then
Why don't you challenge yourself then?
Why don't you learn an instrument?
Oh, wait, there's already people in here who do
I call them closet instrumentalists
Yesterday we had the sowing training and I started asking people like, you know, do you play an instrument?
But then I realized they would say no
And uh, but then I realized I had to like ask the question differently
And I so I would go, you know, do you play instrument? They said no i'm like have you ever played an instrument?
And they're like, yes
And I was like shocked at how many people can play an instrument in our church and I know there's more out there
I'm coming to get you. Okay
What i'm saying? Look if you feel like you're not challenged then challenge yourself
Learn an instrument right learn the language become a better person
Become more effective in your gospel presentation and your soul winning and your discipleship
This is how you're going to grow and look, you know, i'll give you an example
you know pastor anderson and I were talking a while ago and
one interest that we have
That is common is languages. You know, I like to learn languages. He knows a bunch of languages
He likes to learn and he told me he says I read I read my bible in a different language all the time
and he told me he said because
You know sometimes reading your bible can become mundane
And don't tell me don't be that that holier than hell I never get tired of reading the bible
I'd love it. You know, I think about the bible all the time
You know, I memorize i'm just so excited to read the bible. Yeah, whatever. Okay
The reality is some people we can get tired myself included
Of reading doing the same thing reading the bible over and over again. Okay, and he told me this
He said sometimes it could get mundane and I feel like i've already read this story
I already know this, you know, he goes
So what I do is actually I read it in a different language and it just
Livens up my bible reading because I learn new things from a different language different perspective, you know
It uses different synonyms in the bible that kind of basically broadens my understanding of the word of god
right
So it goes to show you this man has read the bible multiple times
But yet even then he can grow tired of reading the bible
Therefore he does it in different languages to keep his christian life alive
Well, like many you have to do the same thing I have to do the same thing where you're constantly stretching yourself stretching your mind
To learn something new in order to keep this thing exciting. Okay, you got to keep growing
The bible says in psalm 119 66 teach me good judgment and knowledge for I have believed thy commandments before I was afflicted
I went astray but now have I kept thy
word
So we see there that god enlarges the steps of david
In order for him not to slip, but you know what enlarging something comes as a means of affliction
But it also comes as a mean as you growing yourself
Now here's my last point. Why do people backslide?
Well, it begins in their heart
You know, they refuse to grow themselves and ultimately it just manifested in their absence
When you when you run when you hear about someone leaving church
You're like, oh man that person backslid
The correct thing to say is this wow, that person was backslidden a long time ago then
Because it basically it manifests itself in your absence
So one month you entertain the thought
Next month you refuse to grow this becomes a pattern and then ultimately you just leave church
But you leaving church you not so many is simply a fruit
Of what was already taking place in your heart
And it just manifested itself, you know
This is what you don't want look at proverbs 14 14. It says the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own
ways
And a good man shall be satisfied
From himself, you know the one who is backsliding can't be can't be told can't be reproved can't be corrected
They're filled with their own ways
And this is a scary place to be folks and I hope that no one in our church is in this state. It could possibly
be
You know because it's it's a it's it's a place that's very shifty
Where your your sins or your bad habits or your way of thinking can get you out of the will of god, so to speak
Okay
So if this is you today just get right with god
And look, sometimes it helps to just go talk to her brother and just tell them
Okay, I just want to let you know i'm backslidden
I need you to pray for me, you know
And you know what we'll do like let's go out to eat. Let's go hang out. Let's go get a coffee
You know, we need to help people like that
Right, we need to we need to help people who are on the brink of quitting. We don't want them to quit
We don't want our brethren to quit. It's a sad thing for me
It's a sad thing when when when someone we love gets out of church because they're like man, it's sad
Like they're no longer here. I don't see them anymore. They used to sit there. They used to sit here
It's sad. So before that happens, you know
Go and talk to put your pride aside and say hey, I need you to help me i'm backslidden right now
I'm, just i'm struggling a lot right now. Can you pray for me? Can you help me?
And I guarantee you anybody here will just put in the effort to say well, what do we got to do man?
Let's keep you in church. Let's go have some fun. Let's take a day off. Let's go shooting
Let's go hiking. Let's go do something
Because sometimes that's what it is. You understand? Let's go fight. Let's go fist fight. So i'm just kidding
You know do something because look here's the thing folks if you backslide don't blame us
We didn't know
Only, you know
So you need to open your mouth boldly
To make known your backslidings
I'm not saying like just tell everyone. Hey, I just want to make a public service announcement. I'm backslidden
Go to someone who you trust or just go to a brother or something and say can you pray for me?
I'm backslidden right now. I need help
You know because I don't and here's the thing deep down inside the inward man does not want to revert back to the world
The inward man delights in the law of god
The inward man wants to do right and the inward man wants you to go tell someone that you're struggling
In order to keep you in the right ways in the ways of righteousness in church, etc
All right, inspire heads and have a word of prayer father. We thank you so much for your word
And lord help us not to be a backsliding heifer
Help us to lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us. Please guide us lord and help us
And lord there's times in my life that i've been backslidden
and often
One thing that I I forgot to mention is if we're backslidden and we're just discouraged. We just need to keep doing what we're doing
And often that character works as a spare tire
To get us from point a to point b where we can replace that tire get a brand new one on there
Where we can delight in the lord again delight in the word of god
And the joy of our salvation is restored back unto us
I pray god that you'd help us to do so and help us to help restore strengthen and absorb edify those who are struggling today
And in jesus name we pray