Tendancy When Left To Itself--- Degeneration

TENDANCY WHEN LEFT TO SELF... DEGENERATION

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I. GROWTH AS A GOAL? ARE WE GROWING?

GROW: To become larger, to increase, TO BECOME BETTER, improve, develop,

mature, to change from childhood to adult...

GROWTH HAS 3 GOALS:

1. PHYSICAL

2. MENTAL/EMOTIONAL

3. SPIRITUAL/ETERNAL

1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

IF WE EVER SUCCEED IN LIFE IT WILL BE BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD A PLAN

AND PURPOSE ---

Success is not for those THAT DO NOTHING and let FEAR HOLD THEM BACK.

Success is GETTING UP ONE MORE TIME THAN HOW MANY TIMES YOU FAIL...

SOMEDAY WE WILL REALIZE WHAT WE COULD HAVE DONE AND DID NOT DO...

What if I had LOVED JUST A LITTLE MORE? SECOND CHANCE?

What if I had exercised my FAITH MORE OFTEN?

WHAT IF I HAD BEEN MORE FAITHFUL TO THE CHURCH?

WHAT IF I HAD PRAYED MORE?

Did you hear about the rumor that was going around the little town?

The young lady had been a church member since a child. It had been many years since

she had been to church. She did not know who the pastor was?

The lady heard the rumor: THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATE WAS GOING TO

BE IN CHURCH SUNDAY.

So the lady called the church and talked to the pastor, she informed him she had been a

member of that church many years and that she heard the President was coming to worship

there Sunday morning.

She told the Pastor as a member she demanded to come to the service and worship with

the President, and he better have saved her a ticket to worship with the President.

THE OLD PASTOR WAS VERY ANGRY WHEN HE REPLIED:

I DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU HEARD THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WOULD

BE HERE SUNDAY, BUT NO! NO! NO! The President will not be here Sunday, but THE KING

OF KINGS, THE LORD OF LORDS, THE SON OF GOD WILL BE HERE! COME AN VISIT

WITH US!

The lady was so sad, and said: I AM SORRY, I CAN'T BE THERE, I THINK I WILL BE

HAVING A HEADACHE

II. NATURE HAS MANY LAWS: ONE SUCH LAW IS ANY THING LEFT TO ITSELF TENDS

TO DEGENERATE!

WHO ARE YOU?

Luke 11:26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself;

and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

WHO ARE YOU? DO YOU REALLY KNOW WHO YOU ARE?

WHERE ARE YOU?

Why do we face hard times and experience pain and hurt?

YOU MIGHT HAVE TO REALLY LEARN WHO YPOU ARE?

Samson thought he was strong?

Solomon thought he was smart?

Peter thought he could never do that?

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

III. DO WE SUBMIT TO ACCOUNTABILITY?

ANY THING THAT IS LEFT TO ITSELF HAS A TENDANCY TO DEGENERATE...

PROGRESSIVELY DETERIORATE?

Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Did you used to do more than you do now?

Did you used to give more?

DEGENERATE:

1. Lower standards...'

2. To lessen and not be as good...

3. DECLINE --- DECAY

4. To change to a WORSE STATE...

5. TO SINK LOWER

IV. HOW CAN WE DO THAT?

HAS LIFE EVER DEMANDED MORE THAN YOU PLANNED ON GIVING?

Psalm 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered

Zion. 2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3 For there they that carried

us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying,

Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4 How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a strange land?

Psalm 137:1(NLT) Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem.

2 We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. 3 For our captors

demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those

songs of Jerusalem!” 4 But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?

WE PUT AWAY OUR INSTRUMENTS, WE ARE TRAPPED, FOREVER TRAPPED?

Then our CRUEL ENEMIES DEMANDED US TO SING HAPPY, JOYFUL SONGS?

V. JUST BECAUSE YOU PRACTICE DOES NOT MAKE YOU GOOD ---

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE FOOTBALL PLAYER THAT MADE A TOUCH DOWN ---