Restoring Grace Series

RESTORING GRACE

Many of us can remember when we were in elementary school of what would happen as soon as the teacher left the room. She would have to go out for some reason and would always tell the class, “Be quiet while I am gone and study!” However, as soon as the cat was away the mice would play. People would be running around throwing erasers and drawing funny pictures on the blackboard. And then she would return. There was always that last minute adjustment as we scurried back to our seats and pretended like nothing had happened.

In the book of Exodus we remember when Moses was called by God to go up into Mount Sinai. While he was away, the Israelites grew restless. They forgot everything that God had been trying to teach them and ended up making a golden calf as an idol and dancing around it in worship. How quickly the human heart can change. How easy it is to fall away.

Most of us know that old hymn Come, Thou Fount. It was written by Robert Robinson who had been saved through George Whitefield's ministry in England. Shortly after that, at the age of twenty-three, Robinson wrote that hymn.

Come, thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.

Sadly, after writing this hymn Robinson fell away and lived many years away from God. One day he was traveling by stagecoach and sitting beside a young woman engrossed in her book. She ran across a verse that she thought was beautiful and asked him what he thought of it. Quoting the words of his song she read:

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;

Bursting into tears, he said, "I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."

How very true it is that our hearts are prone to wander. Prone to leave the God we love. Today we are continuing in our series Amazing Grace. We have looked at saving grace and sustaining grace. Today I want to look at restoring grace. Peter understood what it was to fall away from Jesus;

Mark 14:27-31 You will all fall away, Jesus told them, "for it is written: " 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.' 28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." 29 Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." 30 I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, "today -- yes, tonight -- before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times." 31 But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same.

Your relationship to Jesus Christ is like any other relationship. It has to be maintained. No relationship ever stays the same. You're either growing closer to the Lord or you're drifting away. You never just stand still. You don't just become a Christian and that's it. You're either having your heart grow warmer every day or it's growing colder.

Why do people turn away from God? Looking at the life of Peter we see four things;

1. Over Confidence

We begin to think we can handle everything on our own. We begin to think we are so strong we could never fail. We begin to say, "That would never happen to me!" Anytime you hear about someone else's stumbling and you say, "That could never happen to me" you're setting yourself up for a fall. Given the right situation, any of us in this room, is capable of any sin.

1 Corinthians 10:12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!

The disciples spent 3 years walking with Jesus. They saw the miracles and heard His teaching. When He told them the night He was betrayed that they would all fall away Peter speaks up and says;

Mark 14:29-30 Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not." 30 I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, "today -- yes, tonight -- before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times."

The Bible says that the heart is deceitful. That means we lie to ourselves as much as lying to others. We don't always know why we do what we do. You should never say, "I could never fall for that." That's called overconfidence and that's the first step in falling away.

The way you spell ego -- EGO stands for Edging God Out. When I get overconfident, I let ego into my life, I'm edging God out and I'm already backing away and heading down the slippery slope of falling away from Christ.