DON’T LOOK BACK

INTRODUCTION

Luke 9:57–62 NLT

57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” 62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

BACKSLIDING

Hosea 4:16 KJV 1900

16 For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: Now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

Hosea 4:16 YLT

16 For as a refractory heifer hath Israel turned aside, Now doth Jehovah feed them as a lamb in a large place.

Hosea 4:16 NKJV

16 “For Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn calf; Now the Lord will let them forage Like a lamb in open country.

2 Peter 2:20–22 NLT

20 And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. 21 It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. 22 They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”

2 Timothy 4:9–10 NLT

9 Timothy, please come as soon as you can. 10 Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia.

GUARD YOU HEART

Proverbs 4:23 TPT

23 So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.

Luke 24:13–32 TPT

13 Later that Sunday, two of Jesus’ disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a journey of about seventeen miles. 14 They were in the midst of a discussion about all the events of the last few days when Jesus walked up and accompanied them in their journey. 16 They were unaware that it was Jesus walking alongside them, for God prevented them from recognizing him. 17 Jesus said to them, “You seem to be in a deep discussion about something. What are you talking about, so sad and gloomy?” They stopped, and the one named Cleopas answered, “Haven’t you heard? Are you the only one in Jerusalem unaware of the things that have happened over the last few days?” 19 Jesus asked, “What things?” “The things about Jesus, the Man from Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a mighty prophet of God who performed miracles and wonders. His words were powerful and he had great favor with God and the people. 20 But three days ago the high priest and the rulers of the people sentenced him to death and had him crucified. We all hoped that he was the one who would redeem and rescue Israel. 22 Early this morning, some of the women informed us of something amazing. 23 They said they went to the tomb and found it empty. They claimed two angels appeared and told them that Jesus is now alive. 24 Some of us went to see for ourselves and found the tomb exactly like the women said. But no one has seen him.” 25 Jesus said to them, “Why are you so thick-headed? Why do you find it so hard to believe every word the prophets have spoken? 26 Wasn’t it necessary for Christ, the Messiah, to experience all these sufferings and then afterward to enter into his glory?” 27 Then he carefully unveiled to them the revelation of himself throughout the Scripture. He started from the beginning and explained the writings of Moses and all the prophets, showing how they wrote of him and revealed the truth about himself. 28 As they approached the village, Jesus walked on ahead, telling them he was going on to a distant place. 29 They urged him to remain there and pleaded, “Stay with us. It will be dark soon.” So Jesus went with them into the village. 30 Joining them at the table for supper, he took bread and blessed it and broke it, then gave it to them. 31 All at once their eyes were opened and they realized it was Jesus! Then suddenly, in a flash, Jesus vanished from before their eyes! 32 Stunned, they looked at each other and said, “Why didn’t we recognize it was him? Didn’t our hearts burn with the flames of holy passion while we walked beside him? He unveiled for us such profound revelation from the Scriptures!”

7 SYMPTOMS OF A HEART GROWN COLD

#1 A Decreasing or non-Existent Your Quiet Time

Jeremiah 29:13 MSG

13 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else,

Any healthy relationship requires quality time to thrive. So it is with our relationship with God.

Spending time with the God by reading his word and praying is a both a privilege and a necessity if we are to keep our hearts focused.

Beware of the following:

You don’t have quiet time with God.

You don’t want to have quiet time with God.

You don’t see the value of having quiet time with God.

#2 A Loss of Conviction

Our conscience is one of the main channels through which God gets our attention. Can’t allow our hearts to be hardened and our conscience seared.

Evidence of a seared conscience:

“I deserve this.”

“I’m not as bad as others.”

“Everyone struggles.”

“I’m not as bad as I used to be.”

“I’ll ask for forgiveness tomorrow.”

1 Timothy 4:1–2 MSG

1 The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. 2 These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth.

1 Timothy 4:1–2 TPT

1 The Holy Spirit has explicitly revealed: At the end of this age, many will depart from the true faith one after another, devoting themselves to spirits of deception and following demon-inspired revelations and theories. 2 Hypocritical liars will deceive many, and their consciences won’t bother them at all!

It is usually a direct result of a lack of repentance and a disdain for the cross.

If we spend more time devising excuses than repenting for sinful thoughts and actions, we are saying God’s standards don’t convict us and that his opinion doesn’t matter.

#3 A loss of Confidence in Prayer

When you doubt that God is interested in answering your prayers, you may begin to doubt that he is interested in you at all. But he is interested in you.

James 1:5–7 NLT

5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

The question is: are you interested in hearing what he has to say?

Praying for others is also a vital habit of the Christian. Do you often fail to pray for people when you promise to pray for them, or do you typically follow through?

If you find that prayer matters less and less to you, that’s a warning sign; take aggressive steps to reconnect to your relationship (fasting, cloistering, etc).

#4 A Loss of Compassion for Those the Lost and Hurting

God may bring people into our lives who are suffering or going through hardships that we might serve them. When we refuse to empathize with those in need, we miss opportunities to extend God’s grace.

Not only are we missing important opportunities to serve, we are missing opportunities to demonstrate our faith practically. And if we are not willing to demonstrate our faith practically, we are saying our faith is not important to us

Matthew 25:34–40 NLT

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

#5 An Indifference to Evangelism

As followers of Christ, we are called to share the good news that God has rescued us from our sins and brought us into his kingdom by his grace. We shouldn’t think that God has completed his mission of saving sinners. He wills that that none should perish. If we are indifferent to this deep desire of God, it’s time for a heart checkup.

2 Peter 3:9 NLT

9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

#6 A Decrease in Your Giving

Giving of tithes and offerings enables the body of Christ to accomplish God’s purposes on earth. The Bible tells us to be cheerful givers and to not give simply out of obligation. When giving financially to the church becomes less important to us, our hearts are likely not aligned with God’s purposes.

2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT

7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

Matthew 6:21 TPT

21 For your heart will always pursue what you value as your treasure.

#7 A Decrease in Church Attendance

Local churches are followers of Jesus Christ who regularly meet to worship God together, serve together, pray together, and learn how to better honor God with our lives.

The Bible tells us that to the extent we create genuine Christian community, is the extent that we qualify as followers of Jesus.

John 13:35 TPT

35 For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.”

Hebrews 10:25 TPT

25 This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing, because we need each other! In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning.

When we believe we can do the Christian life alone – that we already know enough, have done enough, and won’t get anything out of church – we miss opportunities to mature in our faith and to help others to grow spiritually.

Deuteronomy 6:10–13 MSG

10 When God, your God, ushers you into the land he promised through your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give you, you’re going to walk into large, bustling cities you didn’t build, 11 well-furnished houses you didn’t buy, come upon wells you didn’t dig, vineyards and olive orchards you didn’t plant. When you take it all in and settle down, pleased and content, 12 make sure you don’t forget how you got there—God brought you out of slavery in Egypt. 13 Deeply respect God, your God. Serve and worship him exclusively. Back up your promises with his name only.

CLOSING

We all struggle in our faithfulness to God during different seasons of life, but we have to guard our hearts for these seven signs, especially if we are experiencing several of them at once.

Start by acknowledging that something isn’t right. Confess it to God, commit to repenting, and confide in a trusted Christian friend, mentor, a LifeGroup Leader, or pastor who will hold you accountable

James 5:16 TPT

16 Confess and acknowledge how you have offended one another and then pray for one another to be instantly healed, for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!

THERE IS HOPE!

Jeremiah 3:12 NLT

12 Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the Lord says: “O Israel, my faithless people, come home to me again, for I am merciful. I will not be angry with you forever.

Jeremiah 3:22 NLT

22 “My wayward children,” says the Lord, “come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.” “Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply, “for you are the Lord our God.