Don't Turn Back
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Don’t Turn Back
Don’t Turn Back
8 In the past you did not know God. You were slaves to gods that were not real.
Confession of Faith
I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name!
Intro:
As believers we are made right with God by faith not by religion, not by any work we do.
It does not matter how many good works you do or how good of a person you are becoming, we can never secure perfection!
That’s why we can never earn or win the right to live in God’s presence.
We can’t make God accept us by being good or doing good!
We are accepted by God, because God loves some much - he provided a way for us to be perfect in his sight and that's through Jesus Christ!
Don’t Turn Back
Hear Me! If you are struggling trying to live right and your world seems more difficult
If you are about to go back to the old way of living - without God take a minute and think about this
9 But now you know the true God. Really, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to those weak and useless rules you followed before? Do you want to be slaves to those things again?
You know God and as the text says God knows you! Before you go back , remember when you did not know Jesus!
Remember when you did not know him in a personal way! The confusion, the craziness, the emptiness, the feeling of being loss
Now think about this, you know where you’re going to spend eternity
You know that you are save , because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
You know what it’s like to feel his presence
You know what it’s like to feel his mercy
You know what it’s like to feel his forgiveness
You know what it’s like to feel his grace
You know what it’s like to feel his love
You know what it’s like to feel his power
You know what it’s like to feel his healing
You know what it’s like to feel his provisions
If you go back you risk losing experiencing God,
you risk losing God’s presence ,
you risk losing God’s fellowship,
you risk losing God’s communion,
you risk losing God’s care
and you risk losing God’s provision!
If you are not serving God - You are going to serve somebody or something!
Shirley Caesar recorded a song called “You Gotta Serve Somebody”
part of the chorus was it might be the devil or it might be the Lord, but you gonna serve somebody!
Now, If you have already started drifting away from God, from the church, from your faith and the world is starting to appeal to you a little or you are currently active in a sinful life style or activities that you know will not please God -
Stop for a second:
Remember what life was like before you came to know Jesus! Before you experienced his mercy, before you experienced his forgiveness!
Because of Jesus , God, has given us all mercy , Jesus has paid the price and God has forgave our sins!
3 Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness.
We Have The Privilege of Knowing God through Jesus Christ
9 But now you know the true God. Really, it is God who knows you. So why do you turn back to those weak and useless rules you followed before? Do you want to be slaves to those things again?
When you and I, turned away from the world and accepted Jesus Christ - God then accepted me and you!
God became our Father and he knows us a son or daughter!
Remember God knows you! God Loves you!
17 So leave the corruption and compromise; leave it for good,” says God. “Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself.
18 I’ll be a Father to you; you’ll be sons and daughters to me.” The Word of the Master, God.
This is the privilege we have to know God as Father , but also to be known as son or daughter!
1 Now this is what the Lord says. He created you, people of Jacob; he formed you, people of Israel. He says, “Don’t be afraid, because I have saved you. I have called you by name, and you are mine.
3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.
19 But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Don’t Turn Back
We must stay in the present -
Keep our focus on 3 things
1. Keep your focus on salvation
I’m Saved
I’m Saved
2. Keep your focus on the love of Jesus,
Jesus Loves Me
Jesus Loves Me
3. Keep our focus on being known by God!
God Knows Me
God Knows Me
Your faith must remind you that you are in good standing with God, not based on a mistake you’ve made,
Faith in Jesus Christ and faith in him alone
9 So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?
10 You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years.
11 I fear for you. Perhaps all my hard work with you was for nothing.
Some of us on this journey of faith become discouraged when we fall short! When things don’t work out the way we hoped,
When life gets to be to much - too many questions and not enough answers
Then we start searching for people and things to tell us what we want to hear
That can drive us to sin!
Today , some of us are listening to false teaching saying - that religion requires you to do this or that - Some people even listen to false teaching that says you gotta work to stay right with God!
That is causing many today to lose their Joy!
People are frustrated, because it never seems to be enough! Some believe they are doing all the work, while others sit around and do nothing and they become frustrated, depression sits in and anxiety takes a hold!
Remember it’s faith in Jesus Christ and Christ alone that we need!
If we take our focus off Jesus that’s when we start backsliding or turning back to the world and the things of the world!
We can even be in the church and backslide, by trying to please God with our Self -Effort and Self-righteousness!
Jesus has accepted you right where you are!
38 Those who are right with me will live by faith. But if they turn back with fear, I will not be pleased with them.”
Be Stable
Be Stable
1 Remember this! In the last days there will be many troubles,
2 because people will love themselves, love money, brag, and be proud. They will say evil things against others and will not obey their parents or be thankful or be the kind of people God wants.
3 They will not love others, will refuse to forgive, will gossip, and will not control themselves. They will be cruel, will hate what is good,
4 will turn against their friends, and will do foolish things without thinking. They will be conceited, will love pleasure instead of God,
Now everything is chaotic in our sin-cursed world.
Crimes, catastrophes, political unrest, wars, terrorist attacks, assaults, abuse, —all these and more are the fruits of demonic activity and sinful humanity.
We can only expect conditions to worsen as we approach Christ’s return. So we are living in perilous times but
Don’t Turn Back
Don’t Turn Back
You are not falling apart - Our world may be falling apart, but we are not.
This is a wicked world,
But God loves us and we are His protected people.
Therefore, we can’t be shaken by the turmoil around us.
We are in Him and protected by his unfailing love,
that means the chaos of this world will not rattle us.
Don’t Turn Back
Don’t Turn Back
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Stay Encouraged
just
Don’t Turn Back
Don’t Turn Back
