The Danger Of Slip, Sliding Away

Psalm 73:2

“But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped”

“THE DANGER OF SLIP, SLIDING AWAY!”

Introduction: Simon & Garfunkel recorded a song many years ago and the last words of the chorus are:

“We work our jobs; Collect our pay

Believe we’re gliding down the highway, when in fact we’re slip slidin’ away”

Spiritually, we can think that we are gliding down the highway, when in reality we are slip sliding away. The Psalmist experienced this in his life and it’s as though he is brought back to reality and he sees what might have been. He said,

“But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.”

The Contemporary English Version says, “But I almost stumbled and fell”.

The Bible warns of imminent danger in these last days. These are perilous times and times that must not be taken lightly. We are in grave danger and don’t even realize it. We are warned about the great apostasy of these days.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 (KJV)

“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first”

APOSTASY means:

“The act of rebelling against, forsaking, abandoning, or falling away from what one has believed.”

There are untold thousands that never dreamed that they would be in the spiritual condition that they are in today. There is an old expression, “Never say Never!”

- Simon Peter declared that he would never fall away!

a. Just like so many others who have declared: “I’ll never leave the faith; I’ll never quit the church!”

b. But many people do including some of the most faithful.

c. Some that has served in the church for years.

d. Some who have sung in the choir and taught the Word of God.

The Psalmist seems shocked at his own actions:

“But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped”

- Slip, sliding away! Slipping away from the communion and fellowship you once knew.

- Slip, sliding away from the peace and joy that you used to know.

- Slip, sliding away from the commitment, dedication and faithfulness you once had.

Slip, sliding away until you can’t come to church:

- “The kids are sick”

- “The dog just had puppies”

- “The in-laws just dropped in”

- “The grass is high”

- “The wife is tired”

- “The husband is tired”

- “I have to work to pay for my luxury car, bass boat and big screen TV that we just have to have”

- “We have a family outing planned”

- “We’ve got to check on our house at the beach”

- “We’ve got to check on our cabin in the mountains”

They can’t come to church because they are slip, sliding away.

ILLUSTRATION

A man went to his neighbor and asked to borrow his chain saw. The man said, “I can’t, because I’m eating black-eyed peas”. The

neighbor said, “No, I’m serious, I have a tree laying in my drive way and I need to borrow your chain-saw” The man said, “I can’t be-

cause I’m eating black-eyed peas”. The neighbor got upset and said, “What does eating black-eyed peas have to do with your loaning me your chain saw?” The man said, “When you don’t want to loan somebody your chain saw, one excuse is as good as another”

When you don’t want to go to church or serve God, one excuse is just as good as another.

Less than 20% of Americans regularly attend church.

It hasn’t always been that way! Paul told the Galatians,

Galatians 5:7 (KJV)

“Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?”

There was a time that you were faithful. There was a time that you were at church every time the doors were open. There was a time when you were actively involved in the church. You did run well! What has caused your love to cool off, what has stolen your affections? It’s so easy to make excuses and to try and justify everything.

The deadliest thing for any church and any individual is to lose our passion for God!

When we lose our passion it won’t be long until we are slip, sliding away!

I. SLIP SLIDING INTO TEPIDNESS!

A. Jesus warned that it would be better to be hot or cold than to be lukewarm.

a. There is just something deadly about lukewarmness.

b. The tepidness of being neither hot or cold.

B. When you are hot you try to cool off and when you are cold you try to warm up.

a. You can feel hot and you can feel cold but you don’t feel lukewarm.

C. The meaning of lukewarm is: