From the desk of Pastor Toby Powers
Truth Baptist Church
Hwy 78
Bremen, GA
Correspondence Address:
56 Taylor Cir
Carrollton, GA 30117
Email: tjpowers@gfb.org
Backward Religion
Jeremiah 7:21-24
Intro: God has spoken to a backslidden generation of Israelites to let them know that they can put away the animals that they sought to use for burnt offerings, for he will no longer accept their insincere oblation from their froward hands. He reinforces this judgment upon their insincere worship and sacrifice by telling them that the thing he sought most from the people of Israel in the wilderness was obedience, not sacrifice. Obedience is always better than sacrifice. Yet the Israelites walked not according to those statutes. In fact, they went backward. They not only ceased in progress, they got worse. Verse 24 says they “went backward and not forward.” I want to preach tonight on Backward Religion. In backward religion you have:
I. Back talking: By this I mean that backward religion will have you ignoring the voice of God, but having a conversation back and forth with Satan. (II Samuel 12 David invited “The Wayfaring Man” into his home and entertained his words)
Psalms 55:21 “The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.”
Genesis 3, Eve carried on a conversation with Satan. She could have ignored him, and served God, but she chose to make conversation with him, and he deceived her.
Back talking led to back breaking-
II. Back Breaking: Do you know why we have to toil, sweat, and labor? Sin is to blame. (Gen 3) The shame is that we have a tendency to pity ourselves and one another for the difficulties of the sin-cursed world. Many preachers of pity and profit have fulfilled the demand for Back Scratching.
III. Back Scratching: This kind of religion says nothing about your sins as long as you say nothing about mine. These preachers are willing to trade the truth for money, approval, a crowd. I want the world to know that if I never have a crowd like that, I am not for sale! A preacher who will not tell you the truth does not love you or your children. He will let your children go to hell without ever being concerned while he drives down the road with your money in his pocket! GOD, GIVE US SOME CALLED MEN OF GOD THAT WILL TELL THIS WORLD THE TRUTH THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAVED!
Isa 30:9 10 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Isa 56:10-11 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
II Tim 3:1-7 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
II Tim 4:2-5 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Backwards religion continues to take man in this disturbing direction. Back Scratching leads to:
IV. Back Glancing: This trait of backwards religion causes you to look and long after the lusts of the flesh. You are not doing it yet, but you are looking and longing after those lusts.
A. Remember Lot’s Wife? Gen 19:26
B. Remember the children of Israel in the wilderness? Numbers 11:5 “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.” Exodus 16:3 Remembered the flesh pots. Notice fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic, they all have an offensive odor, but they appeal to the flesh!
C. Luke 9:62 “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Back Glancing always leads to backsliding. You begin to remember those past unholy habits, old lusts of the flesh, and before you know it your doing them again and you’ve lost power with God!
V. Backsliding: Forget Christian responsibilities. Forget God who sustains you, Christ who saved you, the church who fellowships with you. Begin plunging back into the depths of sin.
Isaiah 17:10-11 “Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.”
Neh 10:39 “We will not forsake the house of our God,” but Neh 13:11 “Why is the house of the lord forsaken?” Hebrews 10:25
Backsliding leads to judgment, chastisement, punishment from God. The only way to escape it and get right is by back tracking.
VI. Back Tracking: You come to the gruesome reality that you have lost your power, the personal presence of God through the Spirit, lost the joy of salvation. To regain these you will have to backtrack to where you lost them.
Did you quit visiting? Quit prayer meeting? Quit Bible study? Quit Sunday School, Sunday morning, Sunday night? Did you quit tithing, giving to missions, praying for your church? Did you quit trying to live for God altogether? Did you go back to the things of the flesh? Did you start doing them again?
To get it right you will have to backtrack to the broken promises that you have made. You know those, “I will be a faithful church member.” “I’ll support the missions.” “I’ll do anything Lord, if you...” How many broken promises have we made to God????
Backtracking and repenting is the only way to get back to Bethel!
VII. Back to Bethel: The house of God. The place of anointing, anointed fellowship. You can dwell there again, but you will have to go back to get there!
