The Backslider

Proverbs chapter 14 this morning.

Proverbs 14 · chapter mention

You know, as you read through the Proverbs,

! the Proverbs cover a lot of territory.

Because the reality is, if you're not going forward,

you're sliding backwards.

You know, oftentimes we think we're being static

or just staying stable.

But, you know, the reality of life spiritually,

if you're not moving forward with the Lord,

you're sliding backwards.

Because it has to do with our attitude and our spirit

about the things of God.

And we understand, we're going to look at this this morning,

it's something that you ought to be concerned with as a believer.

In your life, because we're going to look here this morning

about what it is when the Bible talks about being a backslider.

You know, you might have something that comes into mind

when you hear that or that term is used.

I know it's not something we use very often anymore.

I remember growing up, it was a term used all the time.

I mean, it's a good biblical term

because it's a biblical description of what's taking place.

And so if you found Proverbs chapter 14 this morning,

Proverbs 14 · chapter mention

let's stand together as we'll read verse 14.

And then we'll get into the message here this morning.

And this is what we want to look at here today in verse 14.

It says,

Let's pray.

Heavenly Fathers, we come before you this morning.

Lord, we're thankful.

Lord, we're thankful that you love us enough.

Lord, even when we do backslide,

Lord, that you will restore.

Lord, you'll forgive.

Lord, we pray that you just would be with each one here today.

Lord, as we look and consider this term,

this direction that you've given here

about the backslider in heart.

Lord, we pray that you would just guide the message,

give the words to say.

Lord, help to stir our hearts.

Lord, we might not just look at others,

but Lord, that this message might be introspective to ourselves.

Lord, that we might think about the areas of our life,

Lord, that need what we're going to speak about here today.

And Lord, we pray that you just would bless,

and that, Lord, your spirit would do its work here today in a mighty way.

And Lord, we ask it all in your precious name.

Amen.

May we be seated.

You know, we understand that term backslider, you know.

And we find that a backslider is going to be described in this verse very clearly

because this verse sets two very different men in contrast.

Because it talks about a backslider, and it also talks about a good man.

And we're going to talk about what it's referencing there

and what makes the difference in that

because that's important to understand.

Again, because it shows that the same law holds for both

because it talks about something very particular,

and that's what's in the heart.

You know, your heart

is where everything takes place.

You know, we talk about the heart.

I'm not talking about your physical little ticker that keeps you alive.

When the Bible's speaking about here in heart,

it's talking about the core of who you are.

It's speaking about why are you, you?

You know, and we understand that a backslider

and what he's been feeding on makes a difference,

and what a good man is filled with

is what the Lord puts within him.

You know, I want you to understand

that oftentimes we think we mention backslider.

Here, you think of all sorts of people.

You know, how many can think of somebody

who used to serve the Lord who doesn't anymore?

Who was faithful and then is not faithful?

You know, we can always think about those,

but I want you to consider today

as we go through this

and talk about what the Bible has to say

about being a backslider.

You know, you can be a backslider

that's faithful to church.

You can be a backslider

that might read your Bible every day.

Because we're going to look and see what he means

because it's greater

than some of the things that we try to contrast it to.

We try to elevate ourselves

because I'm not like such and such,

that therefore I'm not a backslider,

I'm not this.

I want you to understand

that even every believer

can backslide in their life.

because if you're not moving forward,

you're going backwards.

And we're going to consider that here this morning

because we understand something

because a backslider suggests

that there had been a time in the past

when something had caused forward progress

to take place.

You know, that's the only way you can slide backwards

if you're moving away from where you once were.

So you've had to arrive someplace

in order to go backwards.

to move away from.

That's what it's talking about there,

to withdraw from.

And so we know and understand,

I want you to,

I'm going to make something clear

at the beginning here

because when we talk about a backslider,

we know that the starting point

is the moment somebody calls upon Jesus for salvation.

because you cannot backslide from God

if you're first not God's child.

You know, I want you to understand,

we're not talking about the wicked of the world,

we're talking about those

who have been washed and redeemed

by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

Because that's two different people.

When he's talking about a backslider here,

I want you to understand what he's looking at

and what he's comparing to

because that forward progress of salvation

happens every time somebody comes

to know the Lord as their personal Savior.

At that moment, you have made progress,

you've been made a new creature in Christ,

you've been changed,

you've been transformed.

Backsliding is moving from that.

And we're not talking about losing your salvation.

We're talking about things that keep or hinder

your relationship with God.

That fire and that zeal

that you might have once had in your life.

You know, that forward progress

as a new creature in Christ,

and as we walk with him,

a walk that's designed to move forward

and to be conformed to his image.

You know, you think about this for a moment.

Go back in the Old Testament

to Jeremiah chapter 8 for a moment.

Jeremiah 8 · chapter mention

Because here, Judah is seen as an example of this.

They've been established by the Lord,

his people that were to be obedient

to the word of the Lord,

and yet they started out that way.

Yet we see them slide back,

and in the days of Jeremiah the prophet,

he makes this declaration.

He says, why then is this people of Jerusalem

slidden back by a perpetual backsliding?

They hold fast deceit.

They refuse to return.

You know what?

God's talking about a heart problem

that's taking place.

A heart problem within that's causing a problem.

They move from following the Lord

to holding to deceit.

You know, they were deceiving themselves.

You know, we see that a lot.

You know, people are good at deceiving themselves.

That deception that there's something that they're not.

You know, matter of fact,

we have people that even promote it.

You just tell yourself you're that,

and it'll come to fruition.

You know what you're doing?

You're deceiving yourself.

Because who you are is what Christ has made you.

Christ transforms you.

He changes you.

He makes you a new creature in Christ.

And we understand that people can deceive themselves, though,

and even a believer can be deceived.

You know, because we understand

that our decisions always have impact.

Every decision, everything you hold to priority

and deprioritize in your life

makes an impact.

Those things will alter the course of life.

Proverbs chapter 1 tells us this in verse 31,

Proverbs 1 · chapter mention

You know, I want you to understand,

even as a believer,

the decisions you make will impact your life.

Being a believer doesn't insulate you

from the result of sin.

You know, just because you're a believer,

if you break the law, guess what?

You're going to pay the penalty.

Here on this earth,

you're going to have consequences.

As a believer, we ought not.

But, you know, sadly, that's not always the case

because of exactly what we're going to look at here today,

this dynamic of being a backslider.

So I want you to understand,

we're going to look at here today,

what causes a believer to slide

and what is the fix?

You know?

It's one thing to identify a problem.

You know, the other thing is,

is how do you fix it?

You know?

A complainer is somebody who comes with a problem.

You know?

Anybody can complain.

But if you come with a problem,

you ought to come with,

hey, I've been thinking about this

and here's a few suggestions or ideas

on how to fix it.

You know what?

God tells us what happens when we're a backslider,

but he also tells us how to get it fixed.

How to resolve the issue.

Because let's look at the cause here this morning.

Notice what the text tells us here,

the backslider in heart.

It begins by simply having less faith,

less love,

less zeal.

You know?

I want you to understand,

this message isn't about somebody else,

it's about me and about you.

Because I want you to understand,

the preacher isn't exempt

from what I'm talking about this morning.

Because it's easy for our heart

to grab a hold of things

and be distracted by many things.

And we have to guard our heart.

I want you to understand,

most of us will never walk away

from the Lord altogether.

But if we're honest,

every one of us has drifted at some point

since we were saved

and needed to be restored.

Because you know why?

Each of us have a tendency

to be filled with our own ways.

Our own desires,

our own thinking.

It begins when a believer declines

in any degree.

You know, by having less faith.

Don't trust the Lord

in exactly what He said.

You know, this is a big issue

in our life as a believer.

Because you can know

what God's Word says,

and you know what you ought to do,

but you consciously say,

fill in the blank,

I can't because.

Or worse yet,

I won't because.

You know what happens?

You begin to slide back.

You begin to slide,

to withdraw from the Lord.

It creates a barrier.

When we understand that dynamic,

it begins when we decline

with less faith,

less love for the Lord,

less zeal in our walk for the Lord.

You know, think about Hebrews chapter 3

Hebrews 3 · chapter mention

for a moment.

Look at Hebrews chapter 3.

Hebrews 3 · chapter mention

It tells us in verse 12,

it tells us,

it says,

take heed, brethren,

lest there be any of you

an evil heart of unbelief

in departing from the living God.

But exhort one another daily

while it is called day,

lest any of you be hardened

through the deceitfulness of sin.

You know what?

None of us are exempt.

The devil wants to get you distracted

from the Lord.

He wants to create a barrier.

He wants to create a separation.

Now I'm not talking about

losing your salvation.

I just want to make that clear.

I'm talking about a hindrance

in relationship.

Because we understand this

on a practical level all the time.

We all understand the reality

of conflict in the family.

Things that are unresolved

cause a conflict in the family

that cause a separation

of fellowship.

Until that's resolved,

it cannot be in the fellowship

designed the way it was intended.

It doesn't change the relationship,

but it definitely changes

the fellowship.

That's the dynamic

when we have with salvation,

with God,

to understand the deceitfulness

of sin.

You know,

Galatians,

Paul tells him,

you did run well

who did hinder you

that you should not obey

the truth.

Because I want you to see here,

notice his name here,

the backslider.

It means he stopped

pressing forward.

Have you ever considered

nobody slides up?

You know,

we never hear this,

he's an upslider.

That just don't happen,

does it?

We slide down.

We slide down,

going away.

You know,

I want you to understand,

it results in going backwards.

You'll notice something.

Look at Philippians chapter 3

Philippians 3 · chapter mention

for a moment.

Because here we find

the Apostle Paul.

And he tells him here,

at the church at Philippi,

and he says this,

and he says,

brethren,

I count not myself

to have apprehended.

Now notice,

but this one thing I do,

forgetting the things

which are behind

and reaching forth

unto those things

which are what?

Before,

now notice verse 14,

this is a key.

What's he say?

I do what?

I press towards the mark

for the prize

of the high calling of God

in Christ Jesus.

Think about this

in contrast for a moment.

What's Paul saying

in his life?

He says,

I must continually do what?

Press forward.

Because if you're not

pressing forward,

guess what?

You're sliding backwards.

That's the reason

we have to understand

the picture here.

He had to keep moving forward

for if he did not,

he would begin

to slide backwards.

The same as with

my life and yours

when we stop

pressing forward

to the high calling

of Jesus Christ,

and we can stop

for all sorts of reasons.

You know,

sometimes we get complacent.

Some very simple things.

Complacency,

I'm happy where I'm at.

Let me put it another way.

Well,

I'm comfortable

where I'm at.

The Christian life

ought to always be

I'm never comfortable

with where I am with God.

There's always things

God's working on

in my life.

that God's developing.

The Bible tells us

that we're to be

conformed to His image.

You know what?

That takes a lot

in our life,

that sanctification

that takes place.

It's moving forward

in that

to allow God

to continue to work

and to guide.

Complacency,

you know,

that less zeal.

Or to look at ourselves

first, you know.

When you look at yourself,

you know what you're doing?

You're loving God less.

Because you know,

one of the problems

we find in our world today

is people say,

love yourself.

Fill yourself

with yourself.

You know what God tells us?

We need to be filled

with His Spirit.

Because that's what

enables us to walk.

That's what enables us

to press forward.

That's what enables us

to live

as God desires

for us to live.

Now,

I want you to see here

as we understand

that, you know,

sometimes

it might be

just not trusting

or obeying

the Lord

in an area

of your life.

That's called

less faith.

When you know

what God wants

for you to do

and what you ought to do

but you're more concerned

about what everybody else thinks

or what you have thought

about it

instead of what God

thinks about it.

Like I said,

this is going to get

personal this morning.

Because I want you

to understand

I'm not preaching

at you,

I'm preaching

with you.

Because you know what?

This is just

as big a problem

in my life

as it is yours.

We need to understand

the picture

and the importance

of this

because sometimes

we're held back

when the truth

of scripture

doesn't fit

what we have thought

or considered

and we resist it

rather than submit to it.

You know what you're doing?

You're sliding backwards

because you created

something that's in conflict

between you

and your Savior.

And notice

where it starts.

It starts,

notice it,

look back at our text,

he said the backslider

in what?

Heart.

I want you to understand

backsliding begins

in the heart.

It begins within you

and what you think

and consider

and how you trust God.

Backsliding doesn't begin

by an action

that takes place.

It takes place

within the heart.

You know,

Proverbs chapter 4

Proverbs 4 · chapter mention

and verse 23

tells us this,

keep thy heart

with all diligence

for out of it

are the what?

Issues of life.

You know,

as a believer,

you don't have

an action problem

as much as you have

a heart problem.

Because the one thing

I've learned in life,

what people love

and desire,

they find a way to do.

They will change,

they will put away things,

they'll put things off,

they'll do all sorts of things

for something

that they desire to do,

what their heart

is pushing them,

where their heart

is placed.

They will put that

as a priority.

It starts in the heart

of an individual.

individual.

We know,

you know,

when we understand

this picture

of a physical heart,

you know,

we know that heart trouble

is always serious

whether it's your physical heart

or the heart

that the Bible talks

about within you.

You know,

that's the reason

the psalmist

tells us this

in Psalm 139.

He says,

search me,

O God,

and know my what?

Heart.

Try me

and know my thoughts

and see if there be what?

any wicked way

in me

and lead me

in thy way

everlasting.

You know what David's asking

here?

A very simple question.

Lord,

is there anything

that's causing me

to withhold

or to draw back

from you

that needs to be dealt with?

Let's give you a clue.

That's a dangerous question

because if you pray

and ask God that,

he's going to show you

some things.

You're going to have

to make a decision.

What are you going

to do with it?

Are you going to stay

where you are,

sliding back away,

or are you going to

press towards the mark?

To press forward

into what God would have.

You know,

high blood pressure

is called the silent killer

because it often

has no symptoms.

You know,

for many people,

the first sign

is a heart attack.

You know,

I want you to understand

a heart that's cooled

from the things of God

is going to slip away

from Christ.

And I want you to understand

this idea of backsliding

it's all good

until it isn't.

It's kind of like

a heart attack.

It was all good

until it wasn't.

You see people today,

well,

they were such a follower

of Christ

and all of a sudden

this devastating thing

comes out about them.

You know what?

That slide to that

happened a long time

before that.

They didn't wake up

one day.

You know,

in my lifetime,

I've seen guys

and preachers,

once I went to school with,

I had personal friends

who left their wives.

If you would talk to them,

you would think

they were godly.

Everything was on track.

Things were going good.

But you know what?

That decision

to what happened

didn't happen in a day.

It happened

when their heart

began to backslide

away from the thing

slowly,

slowly,

slowly,

and then it's manifest.

Just like our physical heart,

you can have a lot of things

going inside

that everything looks good

until it isn't.

You know,

spiritually,

in the life of a believer,

that's exactly what happens too.

Looks good,

looks good,

looks good.

I want you to see here

the course of what causes it

because this is important

because notice here

what it says.

We find these dynamics.

It also says

the backslider in heart

shall be filled with what?

His own ways.

It's not hard to find people

to say this is the way

I think it ought to be.

This is the way

I think it ought to be done.

I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I.

Instead of saying,

Lord, how do you want it done?

How does it need to be done?

What's your response to this?

Because those things

begin to happen

in a,

when we fill it up

with our own ways.

You know,

oftentimes that might just be

a preoccupation

of something.

You know,

maybe it's business

or social life

or entertainment.

And what it is,

it begins to move in

and to crowd out

the things of God.

To move away

from the things of God.

You know,

that's the reason

Jesus warned

in Mark chapter 4

Mark 4 · chapter mention

talking about,

you know,

sowing.

And he talks here

about sowing

among the thorns

such as hear the word.

And the cares of this world

and the deceitfulness

of riches

and the lust

of other things

entering in,

choke the word

and it becometh unfruitful.

You know,

he's describing somebody

looking after their own way.

You can know the truth

and still look to your own way.

To say,

what do I want to do?

How do I want to do it?

What do I expect?

You know what?

The heart gives an accurate report.

You know,

how many of you ever looked

at the little report

on your phone

that tells you

how much you used it each day?

How many hours

you looked at it last week?

How many didn't know

your phone tracks that?

Your phone tracks it.

It can tell you

how much time

you spent looking at it.

I encourage you

to look at that

for a moment

and then consider

something else

when you say,

I don't have time

to pray

or to read the Bible.

Half what you look at

on your phone,

if not more,

is probably not worth

really looking at.

Call it doom scrolling.

Really,

it's wasting time

assuming

those things.

Look at this slide

for a moment.

Who knows what this is?

Hey,

it's in the back.

It's a cuckoo bird.

There's an interesting thing

about a cuckoo bird

because they're one

of the few birds

that don't nest.

What they do

is they find a nest

of another bird,

kick one of the eggs out

and put their egg in.

Then they allow

the other bird

to hatch

their young'un.

And you know

what the young'un does

as soon as the young'un

gets hatched?

He turns around

and boots the other chicks

out of the nest

that he might consume everything.

You know what?

Today,

I think we have

a lot of cuckoo birds

in our life

that have put things

in our life

that begin

to consume

our life

that kicks out

the things of God.

We need to be careful

because remember,

where does it begin?

In the heart

of an individual.

Secondly,

we find

self-justification.

You know,

one of the things

of backsliding

is when you start

to defend sin

and start calling it

by kinder

and gentler names.

You know,

we understand this

in today's society.

Society loves

renaming things,

you know.

It's an alternative lifestyle.

You know,

we understand

the big things.

You know,

think about what

Isaiah chapter 5

Isaiah 5 · chapter mention

tells us.

He says,

Woe unto them

that call evil good

and good evil

that put darkness

for light

and light

for darkness

but that put bitter

for sweet

and sweet

for bitter.

You know,

Proverbs 28

tells us,

He that covereth

his sin

shall not prosper

and whosoever

confesses

and forsaketh

them

shall have mercy.

Let's go back

to our modern

euphemisms

that we use.

You know,

oftentimes people

will start talking,

I'm just processing.

It's a good name

for gossip.

I'm just telling you

about what somebody

else did to me

so I can process this.

No,

you're gossiping

about something.

You know,

greed gets re-masked

in business,

I'm just building

my brand.

I mean,

we're masters

at moving things

to where it

some way

becomes

acceptable.

You know,

you think about

today,

there's people,

we have a generation

who's seeking

and looking

for answers

and you know

what the world

tells them?

Don't turn to God,

turn to self.

You know,

you have people

that say,

well,

I didn't come

to church today

because I need

some little self-care.

You know,

I want to do

what I want to do.

That's my time.

You know,

they may be a believer

but you know

what it is?

They're starting

to slide.

It may be subtle,

it may be small,

but it's definitely

something that takes place.

You know,

indulgence.

Where little matters

give way

to known sin

and one sin

leads to another.

You know,

we have a great example

of this in the Bible.

David.

David was a man

after God's own heart

but when he began

to slide back

from the things of God,

not doing what

he was supposed to do,

doing what God

had instructed him

to do,

taking care of the things

God had told him

to take care of,

he gets caught up

in adultery.

I want you to understand

the David and Bathsheba

thing wasn't

a moment decision.

It began

in David's heart

a long time before that.

And then the ramifications

always take you farther.

He ended up

having

a faithful man

killed.

And when Nathan

the prophet

came and pointed out

to David,

David was mad

and then Nathan

looked at him

and said,

well,

it's you.

You know,

David had a decision

to make right there.

He knew he had

slid away from God

but yet we find

David said,

Lord,

I've sinned

against you.

When we understand

the ramifications,

the indulgence

that brought that away.

You know,

in Psalm 32

it tells us this,

when I kept silence,

my bones waxed old

through all the roaring

all my day long.

For day and night

my hand

was heavy upon me

and my moisture

has turned into

the drought of summer.

Say,

you know what happens?

When sin of indulgence

happens,

it begins to dry up

your life.

You slid into a desert.

And we see this happening

but I want you

to understand

that this is the slope

that we go down.

We begin to indulge

but you know what?

If you're a child of God

there's another thing

going to happen

and that's called

chastisement.

Correction.

God's going to correct you.

You know,

one of the things

I've learned

that if you don't see

God correcting somebody,

you might begin to wonder

are they really

a child of God?

Because you know what God

does to His children?

He corrects them.

They get correction

in their life.

The Lord will chastise

His own.

You know,

Hebrews chapter 12

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

makes it clear.

It's often when

our backsliding

we begin to eat

of the bread

of our own making,

we begin to think

that the things of God

are dead

or are not what we think

because we don't have

a relationship with Him

and we understand

the consequences

become both personal

and relational

to everybody else

around us.

You know,

Hebrews chapter 12

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

tells us this,

For ye have forgotten

the exhortation

which speaketh unto you

as unto children.

My son,

despise not thou

the chastening of the Lord,

nor faint when

thou art rebuked of him

for whom the Lord

loveth,

he chastens

and discourages

every son

whom he receiveth.

You know,

oftentimes this is the point

the backslider

begins to look

elsewhere.

You know,

oftentimes today

I think we have

a lot of people

that are upset.

You know,

one of the terms

that I just,

I'm not quite sure

settled on how to deal with

is this whole thing

today of church hurt.

I've been church hurt.

I think it's another

one of them steps

of victim mentality

because if your relationship

to God

is based on a preacher,

you've got a problem.

Or some church

didn't do

what I expected it to do.

You know,

I want you,

I'm just going to put it

this way and put it out there.

To me,

oftentimes it becomes

selfishness

when it affects

our relationship

to God.

I'm not saying

those things don't happen,

but I want you

to understand

that that's

that person's sin.

God gives us things

that we ought to do

in those moments

and how to walk

through that.

And we need

to be obedient to it.

We don't have time

to get into all that

this morning.

You know,

you can start over

in Matthew chapter 18.

Matthew 18 · chapter mention

That'll give you

a good starting point.

But I want you

to understand

that often

when the backslider

begins to look elsewhere,

they consume things,

then try to compare

and they try to contrast

and they try to

self-justify.

You know,

it's like being

a restaurant critiquer

and all you ever do

is just taste,

never feed on things.

You know,

we live in a generation

today,

there's a lot of people

tasting on the things

of God,

but never feeding

on the Word of God.

You know,

a backslider,

when all these things

are left unchecked,

where does it end?

You know,

oftentimes we think

of backsliders,

we think of apostates,

you know.

Let's use Judas

for an example.

You know,

Judas walked with Jesus

for three and a half years.

Nobody had a clue

what was going on

in his heart.

He looked right,

he smelled right,

he talked right,

he dressed right,

he...

Ever thought about something?

Judas went out

and preached the gospel

to people.

He helped Jesus

feed people.

It's very likely

when you read

through the gospel

that the disciples

were sent out

with the ability

to heal people,

it's very likely

that Judas might have

even healed somebody.

You know,

the Bible doesn't

tell us that,

but being as the disciples

were given that,

when Jesus sent them out

to cast out devils

and to heal

and to take care

of things,

you know,

that Jesus enabled them

to do,

Judas had all

the right attributes.

Then he openly

forsakes the Lord.

His forward progress

was in profession only,

never in the heart.

You know,

when we understand

that people will sometimes

put on a good show

and depart from,

you know,

John tells us this,

it says,

they went out from us

because they were not of us.

For if they'd been of us,

they would have no doubt

continued with us.

But they went out

that they might be made manifest

that they were not all of us.

When it comes to church,

remember one of the things

that Brother Ammon,

most of you here

might not remember

Brother Ammon,

the preacher before me,

but he always had

on his back of his door

of his office,

he said,

through these doors,

some are going,

be thankful for both.

And we sometimes had,

some people had a hard time

understanding that,

but you know what?

Sometimes there's people

who are putting on a show,

they're going to do nothing

but cause you a problem.

Sometimes you're just as thankful

to see them walk away

and not cause a problem

than they are to stick around

and cause a problem.

And if you hold to the truth,

you know what happens?

Oftentimes those people self-weed.

Take care of themselves.

You need to be thankful for it.

But I want you to understand the cure.

The cure is very simple.

The only way to regain ground

that's been lost in a slide

is to return to the Lord.

You know, think about

what John tells us very simply.

Here in 1 John 1 and verse 9,

he says,

if you confess our sins,

he is faithful and just

to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.

Now let me give you

a little biblical context.

This is not a salvation verse.

1 John is not talking

about salvation.

The book of 1 John

is talking about

our fellowship with God.

If you doubt what I say,

you can go ahead and read it.

The theme is fellowship.

Fellowship is different

than relationship.

You can be related to somebody

and have no fellowship.

The thing is,

you can have fellowship

and not be related.

Sometimes people have fellowship

with evil that ought not.

I want you to understand

that if we come to God,

He is always faithful

and just to forgive us our sins.

Why?

Because what Christ did

on the cross of Calvary

covered everything.

It's just and right

to forgive us our sins

because of what He has done.

Not by what we do

or what we've accomplished,

by what He's accomplished.

Confess it.

Don't cover it up.

Come to Him.

You know, press forward.

Come towards Him.

You know,

I want you to understand,

Jesus is waiting for you.

He hasn't moved.

If your relationship

has changed with the Lord,

you know what?

He didn't go anyplace.

He bled backwards.

Press towards the Lord

and acknowledge those things

that you've done

that hindered you

in your walk with the Lord.

You know,

you think about

the prodigal son,

that picture.

You know what?

He had to come to Himself.

He had to come to the place

that He realized

and knew that He had sinned

and that He had sinned

against God.

He had sinned

against His Father.

You know,

David,

when he's confessing to God

in Psalm 51,

you'll find

he didn't have

an easy road.

You know,

he asked God

and he longed

for the restoration

of the joy

of His salvation.

God's Spirit within him

to fill him,

to control him,

to impact his life.

Think about the story

of the prodigal son.

You know what?

The Father,

there's a great picture of God

because when you return,

you know what?

He's ready to meet you.

Not to beat you up,

not to beat you down,

not to tell you

all the things you did wrong,

but to tell you,

welcome home.

God wants you

to return to Him

because I want you

to understand

He's willing

to give the supply.

Look back at our text

here this morning.

Notice this.

It says,

and a good man

shall be satisfied

from himself.

Notice this man.

He's good.

I want you to understand here

the implication

from this verse

is he's not good

of himself.

He's good

by the grace of God

that God,

the one who is good,

is lives within him.

He is not good

of his own merit,

but he's good

in the sense

that he has the one

that's good

that dwells within him

because he's satisfied

from himself,

not with himself.

Jesus made it clear

when he was talking

in Mark 10

where he says,

why callest thou me good?

There is none good

but one,

that is God.

He's satisfied

from himself,

not with himself.

He's good

because God

has made him new

and he's filled

with the Holy Spirit,

the one that is good.

You know,

I want you to understand

at the moment of salvation,

you become God's workmanship.

Ephesians chapter 2

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

tells us this,

for we are his workmanship

created in Christ Jesus

under good works

with God hath before ordained

that we should walk

in them.

Let me ask you a question.

How many have ever gone

to a car show

with old antique cars restored?

It's like going.

You like looking at the cars

and you appreciate

but you know what?

The true appreciation

isn't the car itself.

The true appreciation

you'll find

when you're looking at those

is the appreciation

of the craftsman

who rebuilt it.

In our life,

I want you to understand something,

it's the craftsman

that's rebuilding you

that makes the difference

and deserves the honor.

We are his workmanship.

He took that which is broken,

distant from him

and brought it in,

cleaned it up

and is restoring it.

Back in place

what he intended.

You know,

the interesting thing,

I'll just add this

about car shows

and things.

Oftentimes,

the cars you see there

look better than they did

when they were new

because the craftsman

had better intention

to detail

on it

than even the original maker.

You know what?

God,

when Jesus comes in,

he pays attention

to every detail.

He's going to

work through

every little nuance.

Is this individual

satisfied from himself?

His joy is not

in the circumstances

of life,

but in the one

that saved

and restored him.

It's not dependence

upon the praise

of others.

He is secure

as a child of God.

He is filled

instead with faith

and hope

and love,

rejoicing in a good conscience

and a great testimony.

This morning,

I want you to consider

where you are

in your life

and your walk

with Christ.

One,

do you know

him as Savior?

Because if you never

began a walk

with Christ,

all the things

we talked about today

don't make a difference.

You can't backslide

in sin

if you were never

his child.

You're already

a slave to sin.

You're already

in your trespasses

and sins.

If you don't know

Christ as your Savior,

I'd encourage you

to say,

Lord,

today I recognize

who you are,

who I am,

and what you've done

for me.

And the Bible says,

whosoever shall call

upon the name

of the Lord

shall be saved.

That's the starting point.

But if you know

beyond a shadow

of a doubt

there was a time

that you could draw

a circle around

and say,

I know this is when

I called upon Christ

to save me,

recognizing I was a sinner.

The question is,

what are you doing forward?

What are you pressing

for?

Are you being obedient

to the things of God?

You know,

the first step of faith

is to be properly baptized.

You know,

you can be improperly

get wet.

We won't get in deep

on that one today.

To understand that

God has a means

and a way

and a purpose

for baptism.

It has to be done

under His authority

and His picture,

His image.

There's a lot of elements

of it that needs to be done.

And sometimes people

stumble at that.

The first step

of obedience.

That's just the beginning

of pressing

towards the mark.

To press towards the mark

is to say,

Lord,

I want to allow You

to transform

and change my life

and when I slip away

I need to come

and confess

and forsake those things

and say,

Lord,

I seek

and desire

for You

to restore me

once again.

Turn You away.

This morning

are you pressing

towards the mark?

Mark.

You're not

the big backslider.

You're not

the David

at this point.

You're not

the Judas.

But you know

the majority

of people

fall into

the third category

of being

a backslider

in heart.

This morning.

Pressing towards

the mark?

Being filled

with the Spirit

of God?

Or is your heart

being filled

with yourself?

What about you

today?

His heads are bowed

and eyes are closed?

I spoke to you

about some things

in your life.

There's a lack

of faith.

There's a lack

of just moving

forward

in the things

of God.

You know,

maybe you say,

well,

my relationship

to God

has kind of

plateaued.

You know what

you need to ask,

Lord?

What do I need

to deal with?

What's hindering

this going forward?

What's causing

me to slide

backwards?

What place

of faith

do I need

to take?

What step

of obedience

do I need

to put

into action?

Lord,

what thing

do I need

to do away

with that's

distracting and

filling me

with things

that shouldn't

do today?

Heavenly

Fathers,

we just give

a commitment

time here,

Lord,

to think

and consider

on this

reality

of the

backslider.

Be restored

to you

as we come

and we confess

and forsake

those things

to you.

Lord,

that the joy

of our salvation

may be restored.

A zeal,

a drive for you,

trusting you

day to day,

hour by hour,

minute by minute.

Each heart today,

Lord,

I pray that your

spirit would just

work.

Lord,

I pray that they

would be obedient

to what the spirit

tells them today.

And Lord,

we ask it all

in your precious name.

Amen.

As heads are bowed,