What Is Backsliding Sermon by Ralph Andrus, Jeremiah 3:6-18

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What Is Backsliding

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What Is Backsliding

Contributed by Ralph Andrus on Jul 27, 2005 (message contributor)

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Scripture: Jeremiah 3:6-18

Denomination: Baptist

Summary: The Case & Cure For Blacksliding

2/23/97 Jer. 3:6-18

WHAT IS BACKSLIDING?

Jer. 3:6-10 compared with todays news

BORN-AGAIN MAKES LITTLE DIFFERENCE IN BEHAVIOR

------->:A ROPER poll

National & International Religion

Report -- Oct 8 1990

- The behavior of born-again Christians after

their conversion experience is not very

different from what it was before. In fact,

the survey showed that participation in 3

major types of activity :

Adultery - 2% before -- 5% After born again

Illegal drug use - 5% Before -- 9% After

Drinking - Driving while intoxicated

4% Before -- 12% After

- Don Otis leader of the poll said that their

is a real moral decline in the church today.

------->:George Barna "TODAY’S PASTOR" P. 48

- Only 4 out of every 10 will read their bible this week.

- Those reading during the week will spend 1hr. there will be more time spent in showering, commuting to & from work, watching tv, talking on the phone,reading the newspaper.

- Most lay people cannot name the 10 commandments

- Most do not know that it was JESUS who preached the Sermon on the Mount.

- Ask about the book of Thomas and 1/2 of all adults will be unawre that such a book is not in the Bible.

- The Gospels (The 1st 4 books in NT) are not known to most people

- The most quoted verse is

"God helps those who help who help themselves"

is not in the Bible but from Ben Franklin

I. WHAT IF I CLAIM TO BE SAVED AND YET LIVE A SINFUL LIFE.

1. There is a possibility that I have never been saved

- I Jn 2:19

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

- I Jn. 3:18-22

3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God.

22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him,

because we keep his commandments, and do those

things that are pleasing in his sight.

2. There is a possibility that I am in a backsliddenm condition.

- The flesh is the same

- The devil must be dealt with

- The world is antagonistic

3. Examples of backslidders in the Bible

- David

- Peter

- Jonah

- The Churches in Asia (Rev. 2-3)

II. WHEN AM I IN A BACKSLIDDEN CONDITION?

Two sociologist have discovered a formula of sorts for developing a faith that sticks or dosn’t stick depending which you use for young people.

- A consistent Christian home + regular church attendance + few religious doubts + membership in a Catholic or conservative church = PERSISTENT BELIEFS.

The formula for kids who end up rejecting their faith.

- Witnessing hypocrisy and dishonesty in the church + infrequent church attendance + religious doubts + membership in a mainline Protestant denomination

= RELIGIOUS DROPOUT

The sociologist also found that those who’d

abandoned their faith were: less happy dissatisfied with life held more liberal views had lower self-esteem Than their religious counterparts.

-:GROUP Mag. Sept. 93 p.11

1. - Often the backslidder is unware of his true condition

- Satan blinds the saved and unsaved

II Cor. 4:4

In whom the god of this world hath blinded the

minds of them which believe not, lest the light o\f

the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

2. - We have some false ideas about the backslidder

- It’s not just the sins in the flesh