Anchors of Truth

The Danger of Drawing Back

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Pr. John Lomacang

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Series Code: AOT

Program Code: AOT000139


00:13 Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
00:15 live from the 3ABN Worship Center.
00:22 Hello and welcome to the 3ABN Worship Center
00:25 to our special Anchors Of Truth today, this special Sabbath day.
00:29 Are you all happy here, I think I asked that to our crowd,
00:31 those of you at home?
00:32 We hope you're happy in the Lord today.
00:35 God has a plan for your life.
00:37 And that is, that when He comes back in the clouds of glory,
00:40 that you and I, all of us, go to heaven.
00:43 He says He died that not one should perish,
00:45 but all should have everlasting life.
00:47 Isn't that good news?
00:49 Well along the way, we have this controversy going on
00:52 between good and evil.
00:54 So the Lord has made a plan, and Satan says, "I want to
00:57 distract and discourage, and try to keep people from
01:00 making it to the kingdom."
01:02 So he's constantly...
01:04 And we're in a battle.
01:06 "But greater is He that is in us," the Bible tells us,
01:09 "than he that is in the world."
01:11 What it's saying is, that for where God guides,
01:14 He provides, right?
01:17 So today I don't want you to be discouraged.
01:19 No matter what your problems are, no matter what the
01:21 devil is throwing your way, you know that through
01:24 Christ you can overcome.
01:26 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
01:30 Isn't that good news today?
01:32 I'm thankful for Pastor John Lomacang, his wife Angie.
01:35 What a great blessing they are to this area, to this church,
01:38 to the ministry of 3ABN.
01:40 And literally they evangelize around the world.
01:43 And I could stand here and give accolades all day,
01:46 but we'll just give credit to God.
01:48 I'm thankful that John has chosen to submit and commit
01:52 his life to Jesus, and that now he's being used of God
01:55 mightily, not only through his preaching, but his music also
01:59 literally around the world.
02:01 Right before John comes, he's asked me to sing this morning.
02:04 So, I like singing in groups anymore,
02:09 I don't do solos so much as I used to.
02:12 But when I stand on this platform, I think about
02:15 when we started our very first building almost 30 years ago.
02:19 We used to go out, and all we had was the shell of a building,
02:22 and we'd go out and gather hands together on a concrete slab
02:26 and sing, "We are standing on holy ground."
02:29 Today, I still feel like that when I come to 3ABN,
02:32 we come over, any of the buildings I go in,
02:34 because the presence of God is here.
02:36 So I hope this morning that you are blessed by this song,
02:40 Holy Ground.
02:58 As I walked through the door I sensed His presence,
03:07 and I knew this was the place where love abounds;
03:19 for this is the temple Jehovah God abides in.
03:30 We are standing in His presence
03:38 on holy ground.
03:43 We are standing
03:49 on holy ground,
03:56 and I know that there are angels
04:03 all around.
04:08 Let us praise, let us praise
04:15 Jesus now.
04:20 We are standing in His presence on holy ground.
04:41 In His presence there is joy beyond measure,
04:52 and at His feet
04:56 peace of mind can still be found.
05:05 If you have a need, my God has the answer.
05:16 Reach out and claim it, for, child, you're standing
05:23 on holy ground.
05:28 We are standing
05:33 on holy ground,
05:40 and I know that there are angels
05:47 all around.
05:52 Let us praise, let us praise
05:58 Jesus now.
06:03 We are standing in His presence on holy ground.
06:12 Sing it with me if you know it.
06:15 We are standing
06:21 on holy ground,
06:27 and I know that there are angels
06:34 all around.
06:39 Let us praise, let us praise
06:45 Jesus now.
06:51 We are standing in His presence,
06:57 we are standing in His presence,
07:04 we are standing in His presence
07:11 on holy ground.
07:19 Holy ground.
07:31 Thank you, Danny.
07:33 Good morning, everyone. Happy Sabbath.
07:36 As they would say in Kenya, "Happy day."
07:40 It's so good to be able to be here again this morning.
07:42 Where else would I be if I was in town?
07:46 The odd and challenging thing about doing an Anchors series
07:50 is switching out of the mindset of this is just
07:53 my normal Sabbath morning and remembering that
07:56 I'm dedicated to the clock.
07:58 But we have been walking this week through
08:00 the life and the journey of the children of Israel.
08:04 And if you ever want to know what the journey should entail
08:07 as we follow the Lord, just take a look at the
08:09 lives of the children of Israel.
08:12 Find out what they did, and do not do what they did.
08:17 For we have discovered that they neglected the danger of neglect.
08:21 They chose not to believe the danger of unbelief,
08:24 on Thursday night.
08:27 They chose to begin to not mature.
08:31 They chose that maturity was not something
08:34 that they would experience.
08:35 They chose not to participate in growing
08:38 in their relationship with God.
08:40 Today, we're talking about how those first three steps will
08:43 lead you to the place where you begin to draw back.
08:47 And finally, the final step; that of refusing God.
08:51 Which we will cover this afternoon.
08:53 So this morning, as we open God's Word together,
08:56 let's ask for the Spirit of God to lead in consideration of
08:59 the message, The Danger of Drawing Back.
09:01 Let us pray.
09:03 Gracious Father in heaven, we thank You for the
09:05 opportunity, human vessels are so inadequate,
09:09 but Lord, we pray that you'll come now and pour Your presence
09:12 into this place, into Your people.
09:15 And may we have ears tuned to listen to Your voice.
09:20 May we discover the blessing of continuing
09:22 to go forward in Christ.
09:23 In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
09:28 Now we're not going to immediately read the scripture
09:30 that pertains to this text.
09:32 Although, if you're following along, the verse that fits
09:35 best into the context of drawing back is
09:38 Hebrews chapter 10 verses 38 and 39.
09:41 We're not going to read that now.
09:43 This is one of those sermons where we're going to leave
09:45 that scripture to the very end.
09:47 We're going to see, as we build the platform,
09:49 that's where we're going to eventually end up.
09:53 But I want to begin today by talking about
09:55 the Christian journey.
09:57 Since I've been a Christian, I've discovered that
09:59 there are lots of pitfalls and lots of things that
10:01 we could avoid.
10:02 There are lots of benefits and there are lots of deficits.
10:05 We've got to choose which one we want to be a
10:07 part of our Christian experience.
10:09 There are good days, and then there are bad days.
10:12 There are moments that we can disappoint God,
10:14 and there are moments that we can thrive
10:16 in our relationship with God.
10:19 But there is no more solemn a journey for the Christian
10:22 than the journey that we enter after accepting Jesus.
10:27 Notice I said, it becomes solemn after we accept Jesus.
10:32 We can do whatever we want before that,
10:34 but once we dedicate our lives to the Lord,
10:36 the journey becomes a solemn one.
10:38 There is no more vibrant a life than the life that
10:43 we experience when we decide to follow Jesus.
10:47 You know, I compare my life often times to the life I
10:49 could have had if I did not follow the Lord.
10:52 I compare myself to the world that I lived in before I
10:54 gave my heart to the Lord.
10:56 And I want to tell you, it's quite a bit different
10:58 between traveling from Brooklyn to Manhattan,
11:02 from Brooklyn to Manhattan, just about four or five miles,
11:06 as compared to what God has done in our lives
11:08 since we put our lives in the hand of the Lord.
11:11 Only God can take a couple to 54 countries around the world
11:16 for His glory and His honor.
11:17 Can you say amen to that?
11:19 That's an abundant life.
11:20 But it's never about us, it's always about God.
11:23 And I believe that God will send you on a mission for Him
11:27 if He knows that sending you will not put His name at risk.
11:31 And so I always pray, "God, keep us humble.
11:33 Wherever we go, may You go before us and prepare us."
11:36 There's no more vibrant a life that we can experience
11:39 than the life that we can experience when we follow Jesus.
11:42 There is no other time that being sober is more necessary
11:47 than after giving our hearts to Christ.
11:50 There's no greater purpose than dedicating one's life
11:53 to serving God.
11:55 And also, there is no greater danger than
11:59 walking away from Jesus after accepting and experiencing
12:03 the blessing of being delivered.
12:06 But before I get to the drawing back stage,
12:08 I'd like to begin with the going forward stage.
12:12 I want to say emphatically this morning,
12:14 where would we be had it not been for Jesus?
12:17 Can I get an amen somewhere?
12:19 Where would we be?
12:21 Where would we be?
12:22 You can think of a number of places where your
12:24 life would have been, a number of alleys where your life
12:27 would have ended, a number of places where at the end of a gun
12:30 your life would have ceased.
12:31 And I've had those experiences.
12:33 But I believe that the reason I'm here today
12:35 is because the plan of God can never be diverted by
12:39 the plan of the enemy.
12:40 "Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world."
12:43 What do you say to that?
12:45 Who would we have been apart from God?
12:47 You know, God takes a bundle of clay and forms it and
12:51 puts into that clay His breath of life,
12:53 as it were His Holy Spirit, and makes that vessel
12:56 a vessel of honor.
12:57 So who would we be apart from the Lord.
13:01 And finally, what hope would we have apart from the Lord?
13:05 We wouldn't have any hope.
13:06 We would be hopeless.
13:08 As Paul said, "We would be of all men most miserable."
13:13 So let's begin by taking a look at the mercy of God.
13:16 Exodus chapter 3 verses 7 and 8.
13:19 And as you know, the text will appear on the screen.
13:22 Thank you so much, Will, for doing what you do
13:24 every time we get together.
13:26 Exodus 3 verses 7 and 8, notice the mercy of God.
13:32 He's speaking to His own people.
14:03 Let me just say this again, I said this a few nights ago,
14:05 but here's my point.
14:07 Any place that the Lord finds you is not as good as the
14:12 place that the Lord is going to lead you.
14:15 Any place that the Lord leaves you is a whole lot better
14:19 than the place that the Lord finds you.
14:22 Any life that God empowers when He finds you,
14:26 He takes you to a more abundant, a more empowered life.
14:30 And you never know that unless you get to the place
14:32 where you decide that you are not God, and He is.
14:36 For He doesn't see as we see.
14:37 He sees the end from the beginning.
14:40 And Isaiah the prophet says, "From ancient times,
14:43 things that are not yet done."
14:45 So God sees us in our moments of disbelief,
14:48 in our moments of rebellion.
14:49 In our moments of falling away, God sees us.
14:53 And He saw the children of Israel in the land of Egypt,
14:56 and He knew that there must be a better place.
14:59 Like I said to my wife when we worked together at
15:02 an excavation construction company there
15:04 in Winter Springs, Florida.
15:06 I'll never forget that.
15:08 Shortly after we came home from traveling around the world
15:11 with the Heritage Singers, I sat there at my office
15:14 fiddling with paper, kind of like Brian Hamilton, doing my
15:18 accounting work, and I said, "Lord, there's got to be
15:21 more to life than this."
15:24 Now some people are cut out for that.
15:26 Can we give Brian an amen?
15:28 But it wasn't for me.
15:29 After being in a different location every day
15:31 singing and praising and seeing people come to the Lord,
15:33 I said, "Lord, I cannot spend the rest of my life
15:35 sitting behind a desk."
15:36 She said, "John, what's wrong?"
15:37 I said, "Honey, I want to be in the ministry."
15:42 And we began to pray and beseech the Lord.
15:44 And God found us in an excavation construction company
15:48 dissatisfied by our present circumstances.
15:51 And God, how merciful He is, reached down and took these
15:55 two balls of discombobulated clay and has been forming us
16:00 ever since that day for His glory.
16:02 What do you say?
16:03 That's what God does.
16:04 He saw the children of Israel in Egypt.
16:07 And I thank God today that we do not serve a
16:09 stand by and do nothing God.
16:11 And I also say this, to witness the unrivaled power of God,
16:15 just mess with His children.
16:18 I wish I could preach a sermon on that.
16:20 We've had battled through the years,
16:22 and we've left those battles to the Lord.
16:23 If you've got a battle, let the Lord fight your battles for you.
16:26 What do you say, church?
16:27 Because nobody can hit with a left hook like Jesus can.
16:31 And nobody can prevent your enemies from totally
16:34 bringing you down like Jesus can.
16:36 But Israel didn't understand that.
16:38 They didn't know that.
16:40 Notice what the Bible says in 2 Chronicles 16 verse 9
16:43 about the wonderful power of God.
16:46 The writer says...
17:03 You want to see a strong God?
17:05 Simply be loyal to God.
17:06 You want to see God move in your behalf?
17:08 Simply be faithful to God.
17:09 You want to see God remove the obstacles that are before you?
17:12 Simply trust what God can do.
17:14 For nobody, nobody can do what God can do.
17:20 As long as Israel trusted in God, He provided their needs.
17:24 As long as Israel followed God, He removed their obstacles.
17:30 As long as Israel stood with the Lord,
17:33 He stood in their defense.
17:36 The nations that surrounded Israel...
17:38 You should read some of the stories in the Bible.
17:40 There were instances where they heard that the Israelites
17:42 were passing through.
17:43 And even though the Israelites were miles away,
17:46 the nations that heard that the Israelites were passing through,
17:49 they were filled with fear.
17:51 They said to one another, "We hear the Israelites
17:53 are coming our way.
17:55 What do we do?"
17:56 Just the very thought of hearing the trodden hooves,
18:00 just the thought of seeing the thunderous cloud of the
18:03 millions that were traveling through the wilderness,
18:06 the nations that surrounded them shook with fear.
18:08 Because they knew that if Israel were faithful,
18:11 there was no nation that could ever withstand
18:13 the God of Israel.
18:17 And whoever stood against Israel,
18:18 they were no match for God.
18:19 Look at Deuteronomy 26 verse 8.
18:22 They were no match for the Lord of Israel.
18:27 Deuteronomy 26 and verse 8.
18:40 "...with great terror..."
18:41 That is to the nations around them.
18:46 Who else but God can put a pillar of fire between
18:50 you and your enemies?
18:51 Come on, talk to me.
18:52 Who else but God can cool your journey down
18:55 in the desert of your days other than God
18:57 by creating a cloud just for you to travel under?
19:01 Who else but God can bring water out of a rock
19:04 and cause serpents to lose their appetite when you pass by?
19:07 Come on, somebody say amen.
19:09 Whoever but God can do that?
19:11 But the children of Israel, and I say this to us today,
19:14 look at their lives where they failed,
19:15 and where they failed to trust God.
19:17 If God can do that for them, He wants to do the same for us.
19:21 But they forgot to trust God.
19:23 The problem with Israel was not God.
19:26 God was fully committed to Israel.
19:28 He made a covenant with them that He ratified
19:30 with His own blood.
19:31 Look at Jeremiah 32 and verse 40.
19:34 The Lord made it very, very clear what kind of
19:35 covenant He made.
19:37 He says in Jeremiah 32 and verse 40...
19:42 What kind of covenant, church?
19:43 Everlasting.
19:44 God's not going to change His mind.
19:46 He's fully committed, He's in for the long haul.
20:05 Oh, sometimes if God has to shake your house
20:07 to get you to stay home, He'll do it.
20:09 Come on, somebody, talk to me.
20:10 If God has to make your car break down
20:12 when you're about to leave your family, He'll do it.
20:16 The book of Hosea is so replete with examples of God
20:19 preventing Gomer from completely destroying her life.
20:22 That's how God is.
20:23 Sometimes He puts obstacles in our way to prevent us
20:27 from making havoc of our lives.
20:30 God said, "I'll put the fear of the Lord in their hearts
20:33 so they will not go to anybody else."
20:35 And they heard thunder.
20:37 And the voice of God brought them to a great place of fear.
20:39 But they know that God was still with them.
20:42 As long as Israel remained faithful to the covenant,
20:44 the benefits were theirs.
20:46 The Lord also was planning and hoping that they would not
20:52 depart from Him.
20:55 But now let's go to the next level.
20:57 When you think about this relationship
20:59 that we have now as God had with the children of Israel.
21:02 I think of a saving relationship in the same way that
21:05 I think of a marriage relationship.
21:07 Look at Ephesians chapter 5 verses 25 to 27.
21:10 The saving relationship and the marriage relationship;
21:13 a lot of similarities.
21:14 That's why Jesus is called the husbandman.
21:17 Look at this, my brothers and sisters.
21:19 He says...
21:55 That's God's ideal for His people.
21:57 One day we're going to see ourselves
21:59 like God always sees us.
22:00 Come on say amen, J.D.
22:01 One day we're going to see ourselves in the spotless
22:03 robes of His eternal righteousness.
22:06 But until then, we've got to trust that God is continuing
22:09 to clean up all the spots and wrinkles in our lives.
22:14 But married people know...
22:16 See, I'm going somewhere with this.
22:17 Married people know that it takes time to get rid of the
22:22 spots and wrinkles in your relationship.
22:26 Married people know that.
22:28 But the good news is that Jesus can sanctify
22:31 and cleanse His church.
22:32 Jesus can sanctify and cleanse the marriage relationship.
22:35 I've sat down with countless couples.
22:37 And I always am amazed when they get together,
22:40 when they're married on that first day,
22:41 they're getting married, they're filled with
22:43 what I call, euphoria.
22:45 They are excited about things that they are
22:49 completely unaware of.
22:50 They don't know that there's a storm coming,
22:53 a tsunami of relationship challenges.
22:55 And they are so unaware that all they can say is,
22:57 "I love her."
23:00 "I just love the way he smells."
23:04 "She just has such a beautiful figure."
23:08 Brothers and sisters, don't fall in love with things that change.
23:11 Help me out, somebody.
23:13 Because it's going to change.
23:15 I've finally given up.
23:16 You know, I've been confessing for years.
23:18 I've finally given up.
23:19 You know, I have a young person here I see over here.
23:22 She says, "Pastor, don't color your hair.
23:24 I like the gray."
23:25 When a young person tells you that,
23:27 you've got to do something.
23:28 Help me out.
23:29 "I like the gray."
23:30 I don't know if I'm getting older or getting wiser.
23:33 I think I'm getting a little bit of both.
23:34 Amen?
23:35 But you've got to understand that it takes time
23:39 from where God finds you to get to where God's ideal is for you.
23:43 The children of Israel were just impatient.
23:47 That's why when you get married, you've got to get married
23:50 and be in that thing for the long haul.
23:52 When we were married, we entered a marriage relationship.
23:56 When we are saved, we enter a saving relationship.
24:00 Now I want to tell you, the first day you get married,
24:03 that's not the rest of your life.
24:04 You've got to live that thing.
24:06 You've got to get up every morning,
24:08 you've got to brush your teeth, she's got to brush her teeth.
24:11 And then you've got to kiss good morning.
24:12 Help me out, somebody.
24:14 But after a while you stop brushing your teeth.
24:16 Can I get a witness?
24:18 After a while you figure, "You know my breath smells now.
24:20 I'm going to kiss you anyhow."
24:21 Come on, help me out.
24:23 After a while we start peeling away all the layers
24:26 of things that we tried to hide in the early stages of marriage.
24:30 And that's the sad part.
24:31 When you get too comfortable, sometimes your spouse has to
24:33 remind you, "Honey, you never did that before.
24:35 What's up?"
24:37 That's how it is with the children of Israel.
24:39 They got so comfortable in the relationship with God,
24:41 they began to do things that God had never envisioned
24:44 that they could do.
24:45 So as in the marriage covenant,
24:47 also so as the Christian covenant.
24:49 But what I like about this analogy is,
24:52 Jesus is the husbandman of His bride.
24:55 Jesus is committed.
24:57 He's not going anywhere.
24:59 He's not going anywhere for us,
25:01 He wasn't going anywhere for the children of Israel.
25:03 They just never embraced that.
25:05 They were so Egypt... They were so...
25:07 I'm going to try to find a word here.
25:09 They were so Egyptologized...
25:12 Don't look for that in the dictionary.
25:13 It ain't there.
25:14 ...that they could not think of being Canaanized.
25:18 They were so stuck with where they were;
25:20 their hip-hop in Egypt, their food in Egypt,
25:23 their dress in Egypt, their nightclubs in Egypt.
25:25 Sitting up at 2:30 in the morning eating
25:27 Kentucky Fried Chicken.
25:28 That's where they were in Egypt.
25:30 But God was trying to say, "Health reform, dress reform.
25:33 You've got to change your music, you've got to walk differently."
25:36 Help me out, somebody.
25:38 He was getting them ready for the better party;
25:40 the great celebration.
25:42 And you can't celebrate in Canaan like you
25:44 celebrated in Egypt.
25:46 But the problem has never been God.
25:48 The problem always was Israel.
25:50 Look at Hosea 11 verse 7.
25:52 Hosea 11 verse 7.
25:55 God is never the problem.
25:56 He never will be the problem.
25:57 He said of Israel...
26:08 You know what that means?
26:09 Some people pray all week long, "Lord, help me with this."
26:12 "Lord, help me with that."
26:14 But He said, "I wish you would stop praying and start
26:16 exalting Me by the way you live."
26:19 They called Him, but they did not exalt Him.
26:21 They thought that God was Wal-Mart, MP, Sam's Club,
26:24 you name it.
26:25 But they were not willing to do what God had said.
26:27 He said in Luke, I don't remember the actual verse,
26:30 but Luke chapter 6, He says, "Why call Me, 'Lord, Lord,'
26:33 and do not do the things which I say?"
26:37 Some people like the fact that God is a Savior.
26:39 But He's also a Lord.
26:40 And there's a difference.
26:41 You see, the Savior saves you,
26:43 but the Lord tells you how to live.
26:45 The, "Lord," comes from the Greek word, "landlord."
26:47 He's the one that tells us how to live.
26:49 People want saviors, but they don't want landlords.
26:53 The Lord wanted to be the Savior of Israel,
26:54 and also their Landlord.
26:56 That's why today when you think about this whole topic,
26:58 one of the most deceptive teachings embraced by
27:01 Christianity, is the idea that we are,
27:03 "once saved, always saved."
27:06 There is no such thing.
27:09 Follow me carefully.
27:10 The promise, even the promise, "I will never leave thee,
27:13 nor forsake thee," is conditional.
27:17 Now let's build on that. God always does His part.
27:19 But we're the ones that often walk away.
27:21 He said, "I won't leave."
27:23 But He didn't say that you wouldn't leave.
27:25 Look at Judges chapter 10 verses 11 to 14.
27:28 The problem always is the people.
27:29 The problem is never God.
27:31 Judges chapter 10 verses 11 to 14.
27:34 Continue on the screen.
27:39 I like this.
27:40 You know, when they were about to mess up,
27:41 God said, "Let's have a talk.
27:43 Before you mess up, let's talk this out."
27:44 He said...
28:06 "Didn't I do that? You remember that?"
28:08 Verse 13...
28:25 That's amazing. You think about that.
28:27 This whole idea that God ain't going anywhere.
28:29 You know, my brothers and sisters, the reason why the
28:32 Israelites ended up in Babylon is because God would not
28:35 allow them to act like Babylonians
28:38 while living in Jerusalem.
28:40 You want to live like Babylonians?
28:42 Do it in Babylon.
28:44 But if you're in Israel, if you're in Jerusalem,
28:46 you've got to live like Jews,
28:48 you've got to live like Israelites.
28:50 You've got to live in the church like folk that
28:53 are in the church.
28:55 Some folk come to church and want to live like
28:57 they're still in the world.
29:01 If you're going to be in the church, be in the Lord.
29:03 Help me out, somebody.
29:05 But don't be in the church acting like
29:08 you're in Babylon still.
29:09 God said, "I'm not into that."
29:12 When you get to that point, He says, "Let those that
29:14 you have chosen as your gods deliver you next time
29:17 you're bill can't get paid.
29:20 Call on them.
29:21 Call on Jay Z and Beyoncé to pay your bills.
29:26 I bet you they won't send you a nickel.
29:29 But if you believe Me, if you trust Me, I will provide
29:32 all your needs according to My riches and glory."
29:35 Amen, somebody.
29:36 And God's got a bank account.
29:39 I ain't seen the end of the zeros yet.
29:42 There's a one in the front and there's...
29:45 I've been following those zeros and I don't have that much
29:47 time to keep looking.
29:49 But God does not count His wealth by the cattle.
29:52 He counts it by the hills.
29:54 Even the economy of the world is based on God's gold.
29:56 "The gold and silver is Mine," He says.
29:58 And then He says, "If I were hungry,
30:01 I won't even tell you.
30:03 Because you don't have the kind of food that I eat."
30:06 What a God.
30:10 But God is so faithful that even sometimes in our moments of
30:13 backsliding, God is still there.
30:15 Come on say amen, somebody.
30:16 Look at Jeremiah 3 and verse 14.
30:18 Even in the time of rebellion, God remained unchanged.
30:22 We've got to get that.
30:23 Because our rebellion doesn't change God.
30:27 Our rebellion affects us.
30:29 But our rebellion never changes God.
30:31 "He's the same," come on, "yesterday, today, and forever."
30:36 Jeremiah 3 and verse 14, the unchangeable nature of God.
30:57 That's how good God is, He says,
30:59 "Bob, you want to come back? I'll take you."
31:01 You know what I like about God? Somebody once said...
31:03 I've said this before, but it fits right here.
31:05 When people are not on talking terms with God,
31:07 you're in serious trouble.
31:09 Because if you ain't on talking terms with God,
31:11 the devil would love to have a conversation with you.
31:13 But the problem is, you've got to check out what happened
31:15 to Eve when she had a conversation with him.
31:18 The devil does not play fair.
31:19 Some people think that when you don't want to hear God,
31:21 that somehow the devil is going to say,
31:22 "Oh, I feel really bad for you."
31:25 He's not going to do that.
31:26 He's going to try to do you in as quickly as he can.
31:28 That's why we have to be sober and be vigilant.
31:31 And remember that the devil, at no point in his existence,
31:34 is ever on our side.
31:36 Matter of fact, not even the evil angels
31:39 are on each other's side.
31:40 They are selfish, they battle amongst each other.
31:45 They don't even support each other,
31:47 let alone the children of God.
31:49 But God is different.
31:50 He says, "I have loved you, I'm married to you.
31:54 And if you go away, I'll have you come back; I love you."
31:58 Can you say amen to that?
32:00 Sometimes we wonder why God wants us back.
32:02 I'll tell you why.
32:03 Because when God makes a covenant, that covenant
32:05 is based on God's character, not our character.
32:09 That's why we can still have hope, even when things go bad.
32:12 Look at Jeremiah 31 verse 3.
32:14 Even when it's not going the way we'd like it to go,
32:16 we still have hope.
32:18 Because God is an unchanging God.
32:22 Jeremiah 31 beginning with verse 3.
32:44 You know what I like about God?
32:45 If you mess up, God doesn't take a broomstick
32:48 to go look for His sheep.
32:52 God goes out there looking for that lost sheep,
32:55 shaking in the cold weather, frozen in fear in a dark
32:59 wilderness somewhere.
33:01 And God finds that sheep and picks it up, and says,
33:04 "It's going to be alright."
33:06 He doesn't even yell at it and say, "Where you been?
33:09 What's wrong with you?"
33:11 He picks that sheep up and puts it to His bosom.
33:15 And the heart of God warms the heart of that sheep.
33:19 Then he turns and says, "Papa, I'm so glad to be back home."
33:25 You know what I love about the love of God?
33:26 Is that even when we strain our walk with God,
33:29 sometimes we make left turns when we shouldn't,
33:31 and we get off in the rest areas of the world where we shouldn't,
33:34 but God is right there when you get back on the highway.
33:36 "I've been waiting for you."
33:38 That's who God is.
33:39 He's got this love that is an everlasting love.
33:41 And the love of God is so good that if you think about
33:43 the love of God, it'll draw you.
33:45 It'll draw you, because you have never experienced
33:47 anything like the love of God.
33:49 Paul the apostle said, it is not the commandments of God
33:52 that leads you to repentance, nor the anger of God that
33:54 leads you to repentance, nor the doctrines of God that
33:57 leads you to repentance.
33:58 It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.
34:01 Can the church say amen?
34:02 You know, when you think about people that are good,
34:03 you think, "Now why did I leave?
34:06 And where am I going?
34:08 I'm going back home."
34:10 I remember one night I told my German Shepherd
34:11 when I was a young foolish kid, I was about maybe
34:14 11 or 12 years old and I didn't like discipline,
34:16 I remember telling my German Shepherd one day...
34:20 He didn't know what I said, but I told him.
34:24 I said, "I'm running away."
34:27 He looked at me like...
34:28 Like he always does; "What did he say?"
34:32 "I'm running away.
34:33 I'm tired of getting spankings, I'm running away."
34:36 You know where I ran to? Right back to my bed.
34:40 Because I figured, you know, "Where am I going?
34:41 This is Brooklyn.
34:43 Where is an 11 year old boy going to find
34:45 safety in Brooklyn?"
34:46 Can I get an amen, Jason?
34:48 Where is an 11 year old boy going to find...
34:49 I said, "You better get your little narrow
34:51 behind back to bed.
34:52 You ain't going nowhere."
34:53 And I ran away, right back to my bedroom.
35:00 Because I knew when I woke up the next morning
35:02 there's going to be food on the table.
35:03 Help me out, somebody.
35:04 There's going to be some food on the table,
35:06 there's going to be hot water, I'm going to have a bed,
35:08 and somebody else is going to pay for the
35:10 reason that I can stay there.
35:12 Papa is going to pay the rent, mama is going to cook the food.
35:14 Why would you mess that up?
35:17 Some folk walk away from God and forget the provision of God.
35:20 It's far greater than the provision of man could ever be.
35:22 God has no bottom to His money bag.
35:25 God has no stopping point to His gracious love towards us.
35:29 That's why when I talk about drawing back,
35:31 you see, I'm building the platform because don't know
35:34 what they were thinking to draw back from this kind of God.
35:40 God is love.
35:42 And because He's eternal, His love is also eternal.
35:47 Why would anyone want to draw back from that kind of love?
35:53 Now in order to answer the question, we've got to
35:55 take some time and look at people that did draw back
35:57 to discover where the dangers are.
35:59 Let's go to the first example.
36:01 Let's call this example, "When doing everything right
36:05 is not enough."
36:06 Did you hear what I said?
36:07 When doing everything right is not enough.
36:11 Let's go to Matthew chapter 19, the first example.
36:14 We're going to look at a couple of those.
36:15 The first example, "When doing everything right is not enough."
36:19 Sometimes you've got to want more than just what you ask for.
36:25 Matthew 19 verse 16.
36:31 This is the story of the young ruler.
36:33 We call him the rich young ruler.
36:47 In other words, "What must I do to get from where I am
36:51 to where I need to be?
36:53 What do I need to do?"
36:55 He looked at Jesus knowing that His name had been
36:58 all around town, that every place Jesus goes
37:00 folk are healed, dead are raised,
37:03 eyes of the blind are opened.
37:05 I mean, that's the kind of friend you want to have.
37:07 Jesus had a résumé that was impeccable.
37:09 He never failed a case.
37:11 They couldn't recluse Him, they couldn't refuse Him,
37:14 they couldn't shut Him down or shut Him out.
37:15 Jesus was successful wherever He went.
37:17 So this young man, with all of his possessions,
37:19 "What do I need to do, what good thing do I need to do
37:22 that I may have eternal life?"
37:25 And in summary, Jesus said to him, "Keep the commandments."
37:29 Now hold onto that thought.
37:31 Because if keeping the commandments were a
37:34 pre-requisite to salvation, this young ruler
37:37 would have been saved already, Adventists.
37:46 Keeping the commandments won't get us into a
37:51 relationship with Jesus.
37:53 We keep them because we are in a relationship with Jesus.
37:58 There's some folk that hang around Adventists
38:01 to keep the Sabbath, but they don't know Jesus.
38:03 They eat vegan food, but they don't know Jesus.
38:08 You can know all of that stuff, but it's not going to
38:12 amount to a hill of beans.
38:14 None of those things are going to make
38:15 a difference in your life.
38:16 You can be in the right location,
38:18 keeping the right day, eating the right diet,
38:21 dressing the right way, walking on the...
38:24 You know, doing everything right.
38:26 But my point is, when doing everything right
38:29 is not enough.
38:31 "What good thing do I need to do?"
38:33 And Jesus said, "Keep the commandments."
38:36 But I want you to know that keeping the commandments
38:38 don't motivate love.
38:39 Love motivates keeping the commandments.
38:43 That's why the Lord didn't say,
38:44 Keep My commandments, and then you'll love Me."
38:46 He said, together, "If you love Me..."
38:49 What did He say? John 14:15, look at it.
38:56 "If you love Me..."
38:57 Some folk have a problem with the commandments,
38:59 but the problem is not the commandments.
39:01 The problem is, you don't love the Lord.
39:04 "Many will say to Me in that day,
39:06 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied,
39:09 cast out demons, done many wonderful works?'"
39:11 Then God will say, "I never knew you."
39:15 And the reason why the Lord won't know many of us
39:17 is because we don't approach our relationship
39:21 from the basis of love.
39:23 You've got to approach your relationship with Jesus
39:25 from the basis of love.
39:27 Don't go on the 28 fundamental route first.
39:30 Fall in love with somebody, and then what they require
39:33 is an easy thing because you love them.
39:37 I didn't give my wife three books to read
39:40 before she married me.
39:42 "Honey, don't forget chapter 4.
39:43 If you can agree with that, we'll get married."
39:46 Am I telling the truth?
39:48 "Honey, don't... I think...
39:49 Did you check chapter 9, the second question?
39:52 'Will you cook my food really well?'"
39:55 No, we didn't do that.
39:56 But all the things that she does for me, and all
39:59 that I do for her, is because I love her.
40:01 And you know what?
40:02 Some of us would be terrified if we knew how many laws
40:05 there were on the books that govern the
40:07 relationship of marriage.
40:09 You never know until you say, "D."
40:14 I don't even use that word.
40:15 So you figure out what the rest of the word is.
40:18 When you start going down the "D" word...
40:23 I don't even use that word.
40:24 We've never, in 31 years, ever even uttered
40:29 that word to one another.
40:32 We don't do that.
40:33 If you wouldn't kick out your poodle when he
40:36 tinkles on the carpet, why would you treat
40:38 your wife worse than a poodle?
40:42 Well that's another sermon.
40:45 The young ruler said to Jesus, "I've been a commandment
40:47 keeper since I was young.
40:48 What else do I need to do?"
40:49 Look at verse 21 and 22 of Matthew 19.
40:51 "What else do I need to do?
40:52 I've been doing that all my life."
40:54 Some of you have been keeping the commandments all your life
40:55 and still don't know Jesus.
40:57 But don't think too long on that.
40:58 Let's keep going.
41:01 You've got to have that intimate connection.
41:02 Verse 21...
41:11 Now the reason why that is there is because
41:13 God knew, Jesus knew, that whatever possessions
41:15 that people receive was for the purpose of helping others.
41:19 Think about that.
41:20 That's why the New Testament church, when they got together,
41:22 they sold their possessions and helped one another.
41:26 He didn't do that yet.
41:27 That's why Jesus brought that to his plate.
41:29 Look at the rest of the text.
41:47 Now, don't miss this.
41:49 We often point out that he had great possessions,
41:53 and if we were him, we would have gladly given it up
41:56 to follow Jesus.
42:00 Don't fool yourself.
42:03 Don't fool yourself.
42:05 I don't want to put any test your way,
42:06 but it's going to come.
42:08 Because we ain't taking none of this stuff with us to heaven.
42:10 Amen, somebody.
42:11 It could be shiny and polished, it could be 1500 square feet,
42:15 it could be 3 square feet, you ain't taking with you
42:18 into the kingdom.
42:19 Somewhere along the way, we're going to have to
42:20 leave our possessions to follow Jesus.
42:22 They follow the Lamb withersoever He goes.
42:25 That's what Christianity is all about.
42:27 We often get to this point and say, "I would have gladly
42:29 given that up."
42:31 But one of the first principles of drawing back,
42:34 or drawing back from God, is he was not content
42:38 to give the leadership of his life to Jesus.
42:42 He was a leader already.
42:45 Those that are used to being leaders must one day,
42:49 in order to be a follower of Jesus,
42:50 must learn to be followers.
42:54 Because Jesus is the leader.
42:55 Look at Luke 9 verse 23.
42:57 Look at what He says to those that want to be Christians,
43:00 to those that want to follow Him.
43:02 "He said to them all..."
43:10 ...and take us his cross weekly.
43:13 Monthly.
43:15 Just on Sabbath morning.
43:17 Just on Wednesday night.
43:18 Oh help me out, somebody.
43:20 Every day. Amen, church.
43:23 But some folk don't do that.
43:24 They figure, "It's Sabbath morning.
43:25 I need to take up my cross."
43:27 And it's a bigger cross if the pastor preached
43:29 more than an hour.
43:33 Don't say anything.
43:34 Just giggle.
43:38 Take it up.
43:40 I'm going to invite Paul the apostle to preach.
43:43 He'll preach till midnight.
43:45 And some of you will fall down and bust your head
43:47 just like Eutychus did.
43:49 You've got to understand, following Jesus is never
43:52 on our condition.
43:53 The other problem with this rich young ruler
43:55 is he did not own his possessions.
43:57 His possessions owned him.
44:00 There's some folk that own their possessions.
44:03 And then some people that are owned by their possessions.
44:05 You know that man that Jesus try to get him to follow Him,
44:08 he said, "I bought some land.
44:10 I need to go check it out."
44:12 "I bought me a cow, I need to go see if it could be milked."
44:16 And the other one was amazing.
44:18 "I just got married."
44:19 That's why the Bible says, "No man can serve two masters."
44:22 Come on help me out, somebody.
44:24 You've got to sometimes put the Lord before your spouse.
44:29 That's another sermon.
44:32 Those possessed by possessions cannot be possessed by Jesus.
44:38 You've got to decide who you want to be possessed by.
44:41 And don't get possessed by things, because you know what?
44:43 When the next iPhone comes out, you're going to lose your love
44:46 for the iPhone you have.
44:48 Come on, techies, say amen.
44:50 When the next laptop comes out, you know
44:53 there's some folk can't wait.
44:54 What's today's date? The 9th?
44:55 I don't know what it is.
44:56 But there's some people lining up already
44:58 for the 9th of September.
45:01 Apple is going to unveil something new.
45:04 You know, let me tell you something.
45:05 Jesus unveils something new every morning.
45:08 Come on help me out.
45:09 His mercies are new every morning.
45:10 You don't got to wait for a date.
45:13 You've got to just get up in the morning and say,
45:14 "Lord, thank You for opening my eyes.
45:17 Thank You for giving me breath.
45:19 Thank You for making my legs work."
45:23 Just all those things are far greater than any new advice
45:26 or any new device that can come out by Samsung or Apple.
45:30 Some people say it's Android, others say it's Apple.
45:32 It's Jesus. Help me out, somebody.
45:36 Those possessed by possessions cannot be possessed by Christ.
45:39 Think of Ananias and Sapphira.
45:41 Lost their souls over possessions.
45:43 The rich man with all of his full barns lost his eternity,
45:47 traded eternity for his possessions.
45:49 Lot's wife.
45:51 First salt shaker; lost her life over her possessions.
45:57 Mark 10 verse 25.
45:59 That's why Jesus said these words...
46:27 You know what amazes me about this text?
46:29 Instead of people listening to it, they theologically
46:32 debate whether Jesus meant a sewing needle
46:34 or the needle gate.
46:35 Whichever one He meant, it's still easier.
46:41 You know, they try to say,
46:42 "Well Jesus didn't mean a sewing needle.
46:45 He meant the needle gate where the camel had to
46:48 kneel down and crawl through on his legs."
46:50 If I need to kneel down to crawl through to get
46:52 to the New Jerusalem, I'll kneel down.
46:54 Help me out, somebody.
46:56 That's what He meant when He said it's easier for a camel.
46:58 The point is, if you think your riches are something,
47:01 you ain't getting in there.
47:03 Don't ever put that before the Lord.
47:07 Many are willing to exchange paradise for possessions.
47:10 But look at Matthew 16 verse 26.
47:15 The Lord continues talking to those that
47:17 may think about drawing back.
47:35 What would he give?
47:36 He wants a corner office with red carpet,
47:39 a seven figure salary.
47:41 What can he give?
47:42 Joan rivers just died.
47:45 Every picture I saw of Joan Rivers...
47:47 And I am not deciding her fate.
47:50 But she's opulent.
47:51 The lady could dress.
47:53 She was funny.
47:56 But I hope that her salvation is secure in Jesus.
48:00 Amen, somebody?
48:01 I can't decide her fate.
48:02 And that's not the purpose of my comment.
48:05 And God does not hate rich people.
48:06 Don't leave with that thought either.
48:08 Because there are very many people in the Bible
48:09 that were wealthy, but they were not possessed
48:11 by their possessions.
48:13 They were possessed by the Lord. Amen?
48:14 Solomon, Abraham, the list goes on and on, Job.
48:17 He had so much cattle that they didn't know where to put it.
48:19 Abraham and his nephew, Lot;
48:21 they had so much they had to separate.
48:23 God is not a God who doesn't like possessions.
48:25 But if your possessions go before the Lord,
48:28 you've got a problem.
48:32 There are many that are not wealthy, but they still exchange
48:34 heaven for things.
48:36 Some people exchange their job.
48:40 They'd rather keep their job than honor the Sabbath.
48:44 Some people will rather keep drinking their alcohol, and
48:48 smoking their cigarettes, and eating their unclean foods,
48:51 and viewing unholy entertainment.
48:56 It's not just about what the rich young ruler did.
48:58 Some people would rather wear precious stones
49:00 than walk on precious stones.
49:03 Some people exchange family religion over
49:07 the truth of God's Word.
49:09 The question that God is posing to those who may think of
49:12 not going all the way with Jesus is, "What will you hold onto
49:17 that's better than holding onto Me?"
49:21 What could you hold onto that's better than holding onto Jesus?
49:24 Go through your inventory.
49:25 Take all the time you need.
49:26 But you don't have a whole lot of time.
49:29 Because there ain't nothing that we can hold onto
49:32 that can take away the luster and the glory
49:34 of the Lord Jesus Christ.
49:36 So here's the solution.
49:38 Don't allow anything to get between you and Jesus.
49:40 Can the church say amen?
49:41 Don't allow anything to get there.
49:43 You know, as we get older...
49:44 I don't know if it's just about age.
49:47 I keep talking about age. I must be getting older.
49:49 But there's something about getting older.
49:51 You know the things that used to thrill you when you were young,
49:54 as one song writer said, "The thrill is gone."
49:58 You know, sometimes you've got to say,
49:59 "I use to be excited about that.
50:01 Now I'd be glad if I could play once a week."
50:05 You know?
50:06 The things that used to thrill us when we were young,
50:08 they start losing.
50:09 I think that's what the song writer meant when he says,
50:11 "And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
50:14 in the light of His glory and His grace."
50:16 You've got to keep your eyes focused in the right direction.
50:19 When you lose focus, things look good,
50:21 but they're not really good.
50:24 Second reason why people often decide to draw back.
50:27 Here's the other one.
50:28 When your origin is more important than your destiny.
50:33 Luke 14 verses 26 to 30, look at this one very quickly.
50:36 Don't have a lot of time, don't hold me up.
50:38 Here we go.
51:14 The point simply is, drawing back principle number two,
51:18 holding onto Jesus requires letting go of anyone
51:24 that prevents Jesus.
51:26 That's serious.
51:29 You know, we hear the stories.
51:30 We were down in Africa, and the young lady, Arabian lady,
51:33 we were living at the home with the people that knew her.
51:36 There's some people in foreign lands that would rather die
51:39 than give up Jesus.
51:41 But in America, we give up Jesus for a job offer at Wal-Mart.
51:48 Oh, my good friend Doug Batchelor, "Can you imagine
51:50 missing heaven for a $12 an hour job at K-Mart?"
51:57 It's going to burn up.
51:59 You've got to be willing to give it all up for Jesus.
52:01 Anybody that gets between you and the Lord.
52:03 I remember making an appeal one day in a sermon.
52:07 And I've got to move on here.
52:08 I remember making an appeal one day in a sermon.
52:09 And a young sailor who was in the Marines stood up
52:13 there in Vallejo, California.
52:16 He stood up to give his life to the Lord.
52:18 God had been wrestling with his heart all seminar long.
52:20 And his wife said to him when he stood up, she said,
52:22 "If you go down that aisle, I'm going to leave you."
52:27 And he sat down.
52:30 She didn't leave him, he just joined another church.
52:33 She stayed with him.
52:34 The devil will do anything he can to keep you from drawing,
52:38 to keep you from accepting the truth of God's Word.
52:41 He's only concerned if you stand for the truth.
52:44 He doesn't care where you go, as long as you don't
52:46 follow the truth of God's Word.
52:48 Be willing to give up anybody that stands
52:51 between you and the Lord.
52:52 Amen, church?
52:53 Some think that following Jesus means you get
52:55 nothing in return.
52:56 That's not the case. Look at Mark 10 verses 28 to 30.
52:59 I'm going to finish this sermon.
53:00 Here we go.
53:31 Come on, somebody, say amen.
53:33 I talked to somebody the other day, I talked to somebody
53:35 not too long ago, they said, "You know, if so and so
53:37 is not in heaven, I don't want to go."
53:38 You know what, brethren?
53:39 That kind of philosophy does not apply to any other area of life.
53:44 Let me test it for a moment.
53:46 If I give you a Mercedes and not give your brother,
53:48 would you refuse it?
53:50 I bet you'd keep it and just give him a ride in it.
53:53 If I give you a million dollars and not give your sister,
53:56 would you refuse the million dollars?
53:58 I don't think so.
53:59 If I give you a new house and not give your best friend,
54:02 would you refuse it?
54:03 I don't think so.
54:04 That philosophy doesn't work in any other area of life.
54:07 Don't ever allow anybody or anything or any situation
54:11 to eclipse the blessing that's on the other side
54:14 of following Jesus.
54:16 Matthew 16 verse 25, look at it.
54:25 We won't experience abundant life until we choose Jesus.
54:28 Solution number two, make your destiny more important
54:32 than your origin.
54:33 Amen, church?
54:35 And our final example is called, "When your roots are missing."
54:39 Matthew 13 verses 20 and 21.
54:41 Come on, let's move on now.
54:58 He gets excited, but because he has no root,
55:01 because it doesn't appeal to his heart's desire,
55:03 he turns away from it.
55:05 And why does he turn away from the Word?
55:06 Here's the reason.
55:07 Hebrews 4 and verse 12.
55:26 Some people don't read the Bible because it reveals
55:28 how foolish they really are.
55:32 Oh, you think about it.
55:33 "A fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'"
55:35 If you're an atheist, something's wrong.
55:37 All you've got to do is look up at night and realize
55:39 that wasn't an accident.
55:41 All you've got to do is even look at your own intellect
55:43 and realize that was not an explosion.
55:44 That was a design.
55:47 Solution number three, accept God's Word as the standard,
55:50 and not your heart.
55:53 You see, there are those that won't draw back.
55:56 And they won't draw back because they are willing to
55:59 abandon material possession, they're willing to sacrifice
56:02 the people connection, and they are willing to resolve
56:04 their heart connection for the sake of Jesus.
56:08 Abandon materials, sacrifice some people,
56:11 resolve your heart issues; but don't draw back from God.
56:14 Don't allow anything to get you to draw back from God.
56:19 And here's the closing scripture.
56:21 Hebrews 10 verses 38 and 39.
56:23 This was the foundation of the entire message.
56:42 Can we say amen today?
56:44 I'm going to keep going forward. Anybody else?
56:46 I'm going to keep trusting God.
56:48 It's not going to get better, it's going to get worse.
56:50 But when it gets better, it's going to be good eternally.
56:53 I'm not worried about what people say,
56:55 and what the politics say, and what's happening in the ISIS.
56:58 I'm looking at what's happening in the
56:59 Holy Land, the New Jerusalem.
57:01 What do you say?
57:02 I'm not worried about the decisions of the president,
57:04 because there's somebody in the Right House
57:05 that has never let me down.
57:08 So don't let anything get you to draw back.
57:09 Don't think about the family ties, and the worldly pursuits,
57:13 and the financial gains, and the situational ethics.
57:15 Think about the blood of Jesus that has gone all the way
57:19 to make salvation possible for you.
57:21 And when Jesus comes, my brother and my sister,
57:24 you will be glad that you have not drawn back.


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Revised 2015-01-15