Out Of Place Believers

Intro: Our passage speaks of God’s search for Adam in the Garden of Eden after he and his wife Eve fell into sin. Have you ever been out of place? How did you feel? It’s truly so embarrassing to be in the wrong place especially for such a long time! We should be IN our place rather than be OUT of it. In our Bible study today, let’s briefly survey six men of God who got out of place. May we learn lessons from them.

1. A Discouraged Worker (I Kgs. 19:4) – ELIJAH. The place of discouragement is the wrong place for a worker to be. We are to encourage ourselves in the Lord (I Sam. 30:6). Someone said, "When you are discouraged you are already half-dead." Discouragement is one of the most powerful tools of the devil (cf. I Kgs. 19:8-9)

2. A Backsliding Believer (Gen. 12:10) – ABRAHAM went DOWN into Egypt. Egypt is a type of the world. The Bible says we are to COME OUT from among worldly people, be separate, and holy (II Cor. 6:14, 17). To backslide means to allow your heart to become spiritually cold, hard and calloused so much so that you lose your spiritual power; and gradually become more and more like worldly people who are without hope and confidence in the Lord. Instead of sliding back from the Lord we should rather slide up to Him.

3. A Disobedient Servant (Jon. 1:1-3) – JONAH was directed by God to go to the city of Nineveh. Instead of obeying, he bought a boat ticket to Tarshish and tried to ran away from God and the duty appointed to him. Jonah was to deliver God’s message to the sinners of Nineveh but he tried to avoid them. We are like Jonah in some ways. Sometimes the people we try to avoid are the same people who need the Gospel most! It never pays to run away from God. He will overtake you soon! Friend, you can ran away and hide from man but never from God! Jonah’s disobedience led to spending for his fare and him being painfully swallowed by a whale. It is simply better to obey God than to disobey Him.

4. A Comfortable Warrior (II Sam. 11:1-2) – DAVID was comfortably on his housetop, lounging around, when he saw beautiful Bathsheba bathing. His flesh took over and out of it came adultery and murder. God wants His people to be busy in the spread of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God. Idle people are not only bored but get into needless trouble!

5. A Silent Witness (Gen. 13:10-12) – LOT was a righteous man (II Pet. 2:7) but made a bad mistake when he took his family to Sodom. It was irresponsible to choose great grazing lands over the will of God. Lot found out too late that his priorities in Sodom were all wrong. In the end he lost everything, including his wife, in that wicked place. It could have been another story had he stayed with Abraham! Lot could have been among the men of faith in Heb. 11!

6. A Bitter Disciple (Luke 22:55-62) – PETER had to be bitter when he openly denied Jesus before His enemies. He was a wretched man who refused to be identified with Christ and curses when accused of being with Him (Mark 14:71). Why be miserable when you can be full of joy? If you would rather prefer to be with Christ’s enemies than with the Lord, then you have chosen the path to bitterness!

Conclusion: Brethren, is any of these six believers a picture of your spiritual life right now? I beg you not to be at the wrong place at the wrong time! The question is… If God were to look for you now, where will He find you spiritually? Is it time to seek God and return to your right place? If so, why not pray honestly and decide to get right with God?

Friend, if on the other hand, you are not yet spiritually born-again and saved, the question for you is… If God were to call you to His presence tonight; or if you slept tonight and never awoke up again? Where will your place be? The Bible says there are only three places where you will spend your existence… Earth (where you are now), then Heaven or Hell where in one of these real places God says you will spend eternity. My friend, it’s time to make a vital decision. Heaven or Hell, which will be it? The choice is yours today…