How To Drift From God
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How many of you have been closer to God in the past than today? You were passionate about the Word, excited about church, bringing friends to church, praying boldly and powerfully, but you’ve cooled off. Anyone?
“If the people of God are varsity at one thing it is drifting away from God.” - Matt Chandler
So that’s what we’re going to learn about today. The title of this message is
How to Drift From God
How to Drift From God
Let’s pray
There’s a parable in Matt. 13 that talks about seeds and stuff
4 kinds
Seed on path | Birds ate it
Rocky | Sun scorched, no roots
Thorns | Choked
Good soil | 30, 60, 100 fold
You are one of these
What mean?
Luckily Jesus explains
tap or turn Matthew 13:19
When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
These are people who check out bc doesn’t make sense.
didn’t tell jokes
Nothing about their favorite thing: Sports, dogs, etc
Something about the person, lame shoes etc
and then
As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,
Just happy to be here, excited, loving life, Jesus, Church etc.
BUT
yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
You have a bad day
all that fire gone
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Life is CRAZY
not a bad person, just busy, school is too much, got a job taking your time, no time for Jesus
As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
even like 4 times sounds good but
30, 60 or 100?
Drifting story, fishing in the ocean, ended up like 1/2 mile out and tried to swim back through the current
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
Pay much attention // Growth is not an accident, intimacy is never accidental
So how do we do it then? How do we drift from God?
1. Neglect your Time with God
1. Neglect your Time with God
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Don’t read your Bible
Pray
Worship
Don’t ever think about God
Skip Church
Don’t get involved or give
2. Hang around the wrong People
2. Hang around the wrong People
It is IMPOSSIBLE to live the right life when you have the wrong friends
“You become who you hang out with” - Dan Pena
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
So never hang out with strong Christians, people who love you enough to call you out
Find people worse than you - You feel better but they drag you down
Date or marry that non believer
Embrace cultural Christians
3. Give into Temptation
3. Give into Temptation
Resisting temptation | Lot of work
it’s the way I am
Spiritualize failure: “God just gave me this thorn in my flesh” I mean it happened to Paul and he was like super christian so it’s fine for me
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
i mean God will forgive me so it’s okay
Hide it
Rationalize it
4. Love this World more than you love God
4. Love this World more than you love God
I mean this is my home right?
I want to have the best life
I just want nice things
Debt
Sports
Fittness
Hobbies
Follow people on insta that make you hate life: Celebrities, influencers, people who ‘have it better than you’
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
5. If all else fails just Fake It
5. If all else fails just Fake It
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
Don’t own your shortcomings, just fake it
Learn to talk the talk but you don’t have to walk the walk
I’m praying for you
I’m not sure let me pray about it
God told me you’re gonna be my spouse
Working on credential, Full time student, part time follower
Do you feel it? Have you drifted? Are you totally nailing these points?
Good. Is it scary? Do you care?
Drifted, don’t care, life goes on, scary place
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
What can we do?
Return to your First Love
Return to your First Love
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
He has not moved,
Remember the things you did at first
Remember the things you did at first
What was life like when you first became a Christian?
What did you do?
Pray? Read? Invest time? Talk about it? Want to change?
This is how you cultivate good soil, this is what we need to do, do the things you did at first and results?
30, 60, 100 fold!
Let’s pray