“Gray Hairs of Spiritual Decline”
Prov. 14:14; Hosea 7:9; Jer. 3:1
By
Dr. Steven G. Cook
I. Introduction
A. Read All 3 Verses – Prov. 14:14; Hosea 7:9; Jer. 3:1
B. Illustration – Christian Life is comparable to an airplane – No Reverse; Must continue forward at a steady pace or it will spin out of control & fall.
C. Our text in deals with the problem of “Backsliding” –
1. Apostate – one who has turned his back on God & Truth – Lost
2. Backslider – one who has become cold, indifferent, lost fellowship
D. James 5:20 – “Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.”
E. James is talking about the backslider, not the lost!
F. One reason our country is in such a terrible condition spiritually is because Fathers have failed in being Godly Leaders!
G. The Church has the responsibility of going after both the Lost & the Backslider.
H. Today, I want to speak mainly to Fathers – God has ordained the man to be the Head of the Home – not just in worldly matters, but also in spiritual matters.
I. Let us look at 3 Aspects of Backsliding – “Ere for the grace of God, we find ourselves in such a condition as was Israel.”
J. Possibly there are more Backsliders here today than we care to admit!
II. The Cause of Backsliding Is “Internal” (Prov. 14:14)
A. Read Prov. 14:14 – “The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways….”
B. The Heart is the “seat of our will & emotions” – It is the control center for all that we do.
C. Jer. 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
D. The first mention of the heart is found in Gen. 6:5 – “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of the heart was only evil continually.”
E. In Exodus we read that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.
F. Prov. 3:5-6 states we should “Trust in the Lord with all our hearts”.
G. Prov. 4:23 – “Keep (guard) thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.”
H. There are many examples in Scripture where men & women failed to “keep their heart with all diligence” and ultimately, they backslid!
I. Peter – denied Christ 3 times; Demas – (2 Tim. 4:10) – “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed…”
J. As Christians, we must keep moving at a steady pace, growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord, lest we spiral out of control and fall like an airplane.
K. Backsliding Begins in the Heart! – Keep (Guard) Your Heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.”
L. Prov. 14:14 – “The Backslider in Heart….”
M. Illustration: Elimelech the Father (Read - Ruth 1:1-2)
1. When a famine came, Elimelech failed to guard his heart.
2. There was a Move; Marriage; Misery that came as a result!
3. God promised to bless Israel with rain IF they obeyed Him; Yet Elimelech failed and became a Backslider!
4. There was a man who stayed in Bethlehem during the famine whose name was Boaz – He was a mighty man of wealth!
5. What was the difference??? Boaz did not become a Backslider!
6. Boaz trusted the Lord and God blessed him tremendously!
7. Maybe YOU have found yourself in the midst of a spiritual famine? How have YOU reacted? Have YOU found yourself moving away from God? Married to the world? Misery???
8. Or have YOU reacted faithfully as did Boaz?
N. 2 Cor. 13:5 – “Examine YOURSELVES, whether ye be in the faith: Prove YOUR Own Selves.”
O. Let us move to our 2nd Point in the message – Indications of Spiritual Decline.
III. Indications – Gray Hairs of Spiritual Decline (Hosea 7:9)
A. Illustration – Kristen compared my 5 yr. Old passport with my new Visa photo and said, “Dad, you sure have gotten a lot more gray hairs!”
B. While some of you fathers today have resigned that you are going to go bald, may I suggest that “it is not so much losing hair as it is gaining face!”
C. I used to worry about getting “gray hair”, but then again, “it is a hair!”
D. Women are more vain about “getting gray hairs” than most men – They color them, dye them, and cut them out!
E. May I submit to you that many do the same thing with gray hairs spiritually!
F. Explain Israel’s “Gray Hairs of Spiritual Decline” – Spiritual Indicators!
G. Like Israel – Many Christians have “spiritual gray hairs” and they don’t even know it!
H. They come upon us “gradually” – No Believer Ever Sets Out to Backslide!
I. Let us look at 7 Gray Hairs in Hosea Chapter 7 –
1. Cover Up (vs. 1-2) – Like Adam & Eve, Israel had committed sins and had tried to conceal them from God!
2. Cheating (vs. 4) – They had become “spiritual adulterers” – They had cheated on the Lord by loving the world!
3. Calling (vs. 7) – They had failed to call upon God in prayer! In Rom. 12:12 we are exhorted to “continue instant in prayer” which is translated well in Acts 2:42 – “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer.”
4. Coming Out (vs. 8) – No separation; No consecration; Keeping the Wrong Company! In Exodus 11:7 we find that the Lord had “put a difference between the Egyptians & Israel”, and the same is true of Christians today! READ – Psalms 106:35-41. This is what always happens to Backsliders!
5. Curtailed (vs. 9) – They were devoured of strength; No Power in ministry! Is there no power in your ministry as there once was? Do YOU no longer care about serving God? Would YOU just “rather NOT bother?” These are GRAY HAIRS of Spiritual Decline – Indications YOU are Backslidden!
6. Coldness (vs. 11) – Like a silly dove without heart – Hard Hearted; No Compassion; No Love for the Lord; Lost; or Lord’s People! Like a “silly dove” who does not even care about the loss of her own babies!
7. Complaining (vs. 14) – There were those in Israel that preferred to be rebellious; contentious; complainers! There are always these kinds of people in the church, but YOU don’t have to join them!
J. My friends, especially Fathers, each of us should “Examine Ourselves” to see if there be any “Gray Hairs” that we are not aware of spiritually!
K. Will YOU try to cover them & hide them from God, or will YOU seek God’s divine remover of such grayness in your life?
IV. Invitation to Backsliders (Jer. 3:1; Jer. 2:1-14)
A. Thank God our Message Does NOT End Here!
B. Read – Jer. 3:1 – “…..yet RETURN AGAIN to Me, saith the Lord.”
C. Israel had gone about as far Backwards as one can imagine, yet the Lord compelled them through Jeremiah the prophet to RETURN!
D. Read – Jer. 2:1-14 – See what the Lord said about Israel!
E. Fathers…….friends……..No Matter What YOU Have Done….No Matter How Bad Your Backsliding…..The Lord is Gracious and Ready to Forgive!
F. To the Church of Ephesus the Lord Jesus said, “Remember thy First Love….and Repent…..and Repeat thy first works!”
G. To the Prodigal Son, the Father RAN to MEET HIM as soon as he saw him return again!
H. Why NOT RETURN AGAIN and enjoy the blessings that YOU have forsaken.
I. Why not be the Child God Desires YOU to Be!
