Open Door Fellowship
Pentecostal Church of God, Bland Mo. 65066
Pentecostal Church of God, Bland Mo. 65066Open Door Fellowship
Full Gospel Ministry in Song and Word
Pastor Rev. Steven Wagner Telephone: 573-437-5190
Rt 3, Owensville MO. 65066 Date: January 17, 1998
I WANT TO GO BACK
Open Door Fellowship
Pastor Steven Wagner
January 17, 1998
Opening: Today there is a spirit of giving up, of going back to where you came from, of saying whats the use.
a. I heard a young christian the other day say if something doesn't change in his church he just going to quit serving God.
b. Satan is blinding the minds of people today, and making them look at everything else but themselves.
c. The problems of the church today isn't the other people, it isn't programs or fellowship or dinners. The problem with the church is you.
d. You see we want to blame everything around us for our own lukewarmnest or own unfaithfullness, our own disobedience to Gods will and our own unfaithfullness to reading and studing Gods word and most important our unfaithfullness in prayer.
e. The children of Israel wanted to blame their lack of faith in God on God, on what they were going through, they thought that all they had to do is complain a little bit and God had to do something.
f. Today christians are spoiled, we sit around and if everything doesn't go out way, we start winning, and complaining, and even threating God. And we expect God to come and make everything alright.
g. But God judges us by our faith in Him, our love for Him, our Trust for him, and when we allow problems to cause us to loose our joy, and even our desire to serve him, we have showed God we don't trust him, we don't have faith in him and when we complain, it really makes God upset. LETS READ
Scripture: Hebrews 3:4-19, 4:1-14
(Heb 3:4 KJV) For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
(Heb 3:5 KJV) And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
(Heb 3:6 KJV) But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
(Heb 3:7 KJV) Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
(Heb 3:8 KJV) Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
(Heb 3:9 KJV) When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
(Heb 3:10 KJV) Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.
(Heb 3:11 KJV) So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
(Heb 3:12 KJV) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
(Heb 3:13 KJV) But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
(Heb 3:14 KJV) For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
(Heb 3:15 KJV) While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
(Heb 3:16 KJV) For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
(Heb 3:17 KJV) But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness?
(Heb 3:18 KJV) And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?
(Heb 3:19 KJV) So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Hebrews 4:1-14
(Heb 4:1 KJV) Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
(Heb 4:2 KJV) For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
(Heb 4:3 KJV) For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.
(Heb 4:4 KJV) For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
(Heb 4:5 KJV) And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
(Heb 4:6 KJV) Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
(Heb 4:7 KJV) Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
(Heb 4:8 KJV) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
(Heb 4:9 KJV) There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
(Heb 4:10 KJV) For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
(Heb 4:11 KJV) Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
(Heb 4:12 KJV) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
(Heb 4:13 KJV) Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
(Heb 4:14 KJV) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Scripture: Hebrews 2:1-3
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let [them] slip.
Hebrews 2:2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
Hebrews 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard [him];
Theme: We neglect everything today because we are so busy pleasing ourselves.
a. Family b. Spouses c. Health d. Church e. God
* The biggest of these is we neglect our salvation- V2- 'Lest at any time we should let them slip'.
1. Do you really realize how mighty, how divine, how powerful, the word of God is and that every word, sentence, phrase, question, warning, promise will come true exactly as God has spoken it.
2. V-2 if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, V-3 how shall we escape what was spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ.
3. The world thinks this is all a joke that none of this Bible is going to come true, even Christians must think that its not really going to come true, by the way they live!!! HELLO
(WE CAN'T BACK SLIDE ONCE WE HAVE BEEN SAVED)
"WRONG"
I. A Spirit Of Neglect (v-1 lest at any time we should let them slip)
1. Let what slip? Your Salvation V-3 'How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation'.
2. Escape what? V-2 'every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward'.
3. What is this all saying? That if we don't follow the words spoken to us by the prophets and by Jesus Christ we can slip away and receive the rewards of our life style. Either eternal life or eternal hell lost forever.
A. God does not like backsliders or people that slip away from the righteousness of God in our lives and lifestyles.
1. Hebrews 3:6-14
Hebrews 3:6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
Hebrews 3:7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,
Hebrews 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
Hebrews 3:9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
Hebrews 3:10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in [their] heart; and they have not known my ways.
Hebrews 3:11 So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)
Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
B. God is interested in those that hold on until the end.
1. Hebrews 2:3- How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard [him];
2. There is a Spirit Of Neglect in the Church today. Yes in the Church. Christians are neglecting there salvation.
a. There becoming entangled in the affairs of this world. Timothy-2 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of [this] life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
b. They are neglecting there salvation in prayer and reading there Bibles so they are following pray to Satan and his temptations-James 1:12 Blessed [is] the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
c. Drawn away from what ? This talking about drawing someone away from God, someone that has known God but by there NEGLECT OF SPIRITUAL MATTERS they are drawn away from God and can end up loosing out with God.
3. This Is The Neglect of Spiritual things prophesized about in -Timothy-2 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
Timothy-2 4:4 And they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
II. Because Of This Neglect We Are Neglecting Our Commission As The Church To Preach The Gospel.
A. If Satan can get us to neglect Jesus Christ he can rob us of our salvation, but many times because of our neglect we are always trying to keep our nose above water and can never fulfill the commission given to the Church by Jesus Christ. We are so busy trying to make it from one Sunday to the next that we are not spiritually strong enough to win the lost.
1. Because of this Satan can accomplish what he wants.
III. HOW CAN WE KEEP FROM DRIFTING AWAY.
Hebrews 2:1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let [them] slip.
a. We need to start heeding what we hear in Gods word,
4337. prosecho, pros-ekh'-o; from G4314 and G2192; (fig.) to hold the mind (G3563 impl.) towards, i.e. pay attention to, be cautious about, apply oneself to, adhere to:--(give) attend (-ance, -ance at, -ance to, unto), beware, be given to, give (take) heed (to, unto) have regard.
b. To apply the word, not only hear it, if we want to make it into the promise land we have to heed the word of God.
c. Not only when we want to, but all of the time, through the good times, the bad times, the rough times, we totally trust God, we don't complain, we don't point fingers, we look at ourselves and make sure we are strait with God ourselves.
(James 1:22 KJV) But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Closing: Isn't it time we quite neglecting spiritual things in our lives usually for the things of this world.
We need to get our priorities correct in our lives to have faith in God, and when we heed His word in our lives being doers of the word we will find out that we won't look at other things and blame other people but we will look at ourselves as the problem.
If every one would follow this message today we wouldn't have any problems in churches or in our lives, but we will live victorious in God and make it into the promise land.