Falling Away

Falling Away

October 7, 2012 Morning Service

Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK

Rick Boyne

Message Point: We must take captive every thought, attitude and action to remain faithful to Jesus.

Focus Passage: Hebrews 3:12-15

Supplemental Passage: They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us. (1 John 2:19 NASB)

Introduction: In the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the Party removed the word “God” from their entire platform. Realizing that it created an image problem, there was a motion to return the word “God” to their narrative. The moderator asked for a verbal vote. Those who witnessed the event saw three verbal votes, each time voting “No” to return God to the Democratic Party platform. In a courageous attempt to please the moderates in the party, the moderator declared the motion “passed” and was booed by the crowd. While the DNC is not a religious institution, it illustrates how attitudes effect action in regards to falling away from God.

I. Thoughts

a. We allow thoughts to creep in and set up camp

b. We entertain those thoughts as if they will not harm us

c. We pay more and more attention to thoughts that are contrary to God and allow them to influence us away from God.

d. and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, (2 Corinthians 10:5b NASB)

e. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8 NASB)

II. Attitudes

a. We allow our thoughts to become attitudes

b. We allow attitudes to creep in our lives and make themselves at home

c. We begin to have emotions about our thoughts, which then become attitudes

d. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:3-7 NASB)

III. Actions

a. When our attitudes are firmly entrenched in our lives, they affect our actions

b. We desire to please ourselves instead of desiring to please God

c. We feel like we deserve more than God is giving us;

i. We want to relax so we drink

ii. We want more money so we gamble

iii. We want to feel good so we have whatever kind of sex we want

iv. We want to forget so we do drugs

v. We want to be free so we “shack up” or “live together”

vi. Pornography, cigarettes, dirty jokes, cursing, leisure, food, etc

d. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (Galatians 5:17 NASB)

e. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5 NASB)

Invitation: