Luke 8: 4-15 Why Do So Many Fall Away? Ezekiel 36:22-38
Definitely converted or deceptively close. Mather family of New England Puritans Congregationalists, persecuted 2nd gen, unconverted Congs. state religion.. dom by nonregen, identity.. refugees, chn Aussies..sins of peoples No wonder people fell away!!
Jude 1:3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. 2Tim 4:10 Demas For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me... Judas
One sort of seed. The Gospel, the Word of Grace. No root, No shoot no fruit.
Four sorts of Soil, Four sorts of Heart. Calloused -closed Casual -cloudy Crowded cluttered Converted committed
Hebrews 10: 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?30 For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people."31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
They Fall Away Because They Are Deceived (not born again)
1Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
RC ritualism replacing relationship.
They Fall Away Because They Are Disillusioned
2 Tim 3:1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions,7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
They Fall Away Because They Are Discouraged
Strangled by Worries wealth and wants Our English Word "worry" comes from the German Word "wurgen" which means "to choke." Worry is when the devil puts a mental and emotional choke hold on you
On August 16, 1977, Elvis died from complications of drug usage. Some said he "had it all." Each year over 250,000 people still tour Graceland. You can see his motorcycles, his Cadillacs, his toys and his gold records. You can see his jets, one named Hound Dog II and one named the Lisa Marie. Elvis, loved to fly around the country late at night just to get things like ice cream or a special kind of peanut butter sold only in Denver. Elvis' younger stepbrother, Rick Stanley died a few years ago. Rick was a southern Baptist evangelist and youth pastor. He said he thought Elvis really loved Jesus at one time and his favorite style of music was always gospel music. But Elvis' biggest mistake, according to Rick, was he allowed all the fame, all the money, and all the success to choke the word of God out of his life. He died sad and lonely, surrounded by wealth. What a sad testimony of a person who allowed the Word to be choked out. You don't have to be as rich and famous as Elvis for that to happen. If you love gold more than God, the Word will get choked out. For some of you, Jesus has become just one of several good interests in your life. Listen, friend, if Jesus is not Lord of all–His is not your Lord at all.
'Worldliness is departing from God. It is a man-centred way of thinking; it proposes objectives which demand no radical breach with man's fallen nature; it judges the importance of things by the present and material results; it weighs success by numbers; it covets human esteem and wants no unpopularity; it knows no truth for which it is worth suffering; it declines to be a 'fool for Christ's sake'. Worldliness is the mind-set of the unregenerate. It adopts idols and is at war with God.' ~ Iain H. Murray
The True Church is not just marked by Sacraments. The true church is truly born again.
Luke 9:18-26 Discipleship
23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
Run, John., and work, the law commands, Yet finds me neither feet nor hands;
But, sweeter news the gospel brings, It bids me fly, and lends me wings.
Decision plentiful profound choices.
Direction reflects decisions, desires,devotion
Denial of pride, priorities Matt6:33, possessions 6:24
Death Gal 2:20 Verse 23 is one of the most important verses in the New Testament because it contains the essence of what it costs to be a disciple. Jesus said you can never be a disciple unless you "deny yourself." That doesn't mean you have to deny yourself something like sweets, sleep or food. It means you deny your Self. Think of your "self" as your "ego" or the "Big I." Because we are
sinners, our human nature makes us self-centered. We put the "Big I" at the center of our own little universe and everything revolves around our "ego." We are like the little nursery rhyme:
I had a little party this afternoon at three 'Twas very small, three guests in all;
Just I, myself, and me. Myself ate up the candy; And I drank up the tea;
'Twas also I that ate the pie and passed the cake to me.
By nature, the only people we really care about are I, myself and me.
Death. It was always a one-way trip. For you to take up your cross doesn't mean you carry a cross in your pocket or wear one around your neck. It doesn't mean you carry around a large wooden cross as some have done. Other people think their "cross to bear" is some kind of physical ailment.
My sons in law often call me the "Big G!" They know I can't answer that one. Bit Jesus is talking about the Big I (in my case it is still a big G!)
Jesus is talking about dying. It isn't physical death but death to self. After you have denied self, you must constantly subject your "Big I" to death. Actually, since all our sins were nailed to Jesus on the cross and since our ego is the essence of our sin problem, our "Big I" was already crucified with Jesus; we just have to acknowledge it.
One of my all-time favorite verses which I recite almost daily is found in Galatians 2:20. Every time the word "I" appears, you could substitute "self" or "ego." "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me."
In other words, my Self was put to death when I identified with the death of Jesus but there is a real problem: Our self has more lives than a lucky cat. Crucified self keeps wanting to jump down from the cross and step up on the throne of your life. That's why Jesus said taking up your cross was a daily discipline. Actually, I have to quote and claim Galatians 2:20 several times a day and even several times an hour! Because Christ is living in you, Jesus wants to express His personality in your life. He wants to fill you with His love, His patience, His forgiveness, His peace, His wisdom etc. That can only happen when Self is off the throne and dead. When you make this discovery, the Christian life becomes an exciting experience of surrendering to the life of Jesus within you rather than trying to imitate the life of Jesus.
Devotion head and heart.. prayer
Florence Nightingale, although raised in great wealth and privilege in England, experienced the call of God to help suffering people at age 17. She became known as the founder of modern nursing. While serving during the bloody Crimean War, she treated the wounded even after she contracted a deadly illness herself. She was the first female to be awarded the British Order of Merit. What made her life so exceptional? She was a serious disciple of Jesus Christ. She wrote in her diary, "I am 30 years of age, the age at which Christ began His mission. Now no more childish things, no more vain things." Late in her life she was asked to explain how she had accomplished so much, she said, "I can give only one explanation and that is this: I have kept nothing back from God." Are you holding back anything from God?
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