                    [Times Square Church Pulpit Series]

                   The Awful Consequences of Backsliding!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

By David Wilkerson
September 30, 1996
__________

     I once heard a preacher say, "The Bible never says anything about
     backsliding." That man doesn't know his Bible! The Scriptures
     speak much about backsliding, because it is a very serious matter
     -- with very severe consequences!

     In reading the history of Israel and Judah, we see one generation
     after another backsliding against the Lord. God told Hosea, "My
     people are bent to backsliding from me..." (Hosea 11:7). In
     Hebrew, the meaning is, "My people are in the habit of turning
     their backs and withdrawing from me. They've always had this
     tendency!"

     And Jeremiah's frequent heart-cry was: "Turn, O backsliding
     children, saith the Lord; for I am married to you..." (Jeremiah
     3:14). "O Lord...our iniquities testify against us...for our
     backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee" (14:7).
     "(Jerusalem's) transgressions are many, and their backslidings
     are increased" (5:6).

     The term backsliding means, simply, "turning one's back on God."
     Ironically, God's people backslid mostly after times of great
     blessing and prosperity. Often, when God poured out incredible
     mercies on Israel, the people soon turned away from him.

     "How shall I pardon thee for this? Thy children have forsaken me,
     and sworn by them that are no gods; when I had fed them to the
     full, they then committed adultery...The house of Israel and the
     house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith
     the Lord" (verses 7, 11). The Lord is saying here, "I blessed
     them, I favored them. And now they've turned their backs on me!"

     In this passage, Jeremiah describes exactly who a backslider is.
     First, a backslider is someone who once enjoyed the blessings and
     favor of God. He walked before the Lord with a devoted, humble,
     kind heart. He loved praying and digging into God's word. He
     vowed, "I will serve the Lord always, with all my heart." And for
     a while he did seek the Lord faithfully. He forsook his wicked
     ways and delighted in the fellowship he found with other saints
     in God's house.

     But then something began to draw this believer's heart away from
     the Lord. He no longer had genuine love. Instead, rebellion crept
     in. Soon he lost both the love and fear of God. He no longer
     trembled in the Lord's presence. His heart slowly grew cold.

     Today this backslider has totally revolted against the narrow way
     and gone back to worldly ways. He has become completely blind,
     foolish, without understanding. He no longer seeks the Lord or
     turns to his word. All desire to pray is gone. And he doesn't go
     to God's house anymore. He has removed himself completely from
     the Lord's presence -- and he's headed toward apostasy!

     The Bible makes it very clear: Backsliding is an evil, bitter
     thing -- and it has awful consequences! "Thine own wickedness
     shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know
     therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou
     hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee,
     saith the Lord God of hosts" (2:19).

     "I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then
     art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto
     me?" (verse 21). The Lord is saying, "How could you have turned
     away from me, when I planted you and tried to establish you? Yet,
     you turned and walked away!"

                    ------------------------------------

                          Jonah Was a Backslider!

                    ------------------------------------

     You probably know the story of Jonah. Be warned, beloved --
     because what happened to Jonah happens to all backsliders!

     Here was a prophet of God, a man of genuine faith who loved and
     feared the Lord. Indeed, Jonah walked closely enough to God to be
     entrusted with a prophetic word to an entire city-state. The Lord
     told him, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against
     it; for their wickedness is come up before me" (Jonah 1:2).

     But instead of going to Nineveh, Jonah rebelled and ran. He fled
     to Joppa, a seaport town about thirty-five miles north of
     Jerusalem. There he bought a ticket on a cargo ship headed for
     Tarshish, a city in Spain known for its mighty ships and smelting
     of precious metals. It was a wicked city that represented
     prosperity, success and power.

     Now, the Mediterranean trade ships of Jonah's day sailed a route
     between Joppa and Tarshish, stopping at other seaport towns in
     Greece and Turkey. So, Jonah's trip was probably intended to be a
     three-to-four-week journey. And soon after the prophet boarded
     ship, he went down into the hold, wrapped himself in a blanket
     and fell asleep.

     But God arranged a storm that broke in on the backslider's
     tranquil sea cruise. Suddenly, without warning, the winds became
     violent, the waves rose higher, the sails were ripped apart, the
     rudder was of no use. The crew was completely at the mercy of the
     storm. God had stirred up a whole sea to get to one man who was
     in disobedience!

     The captain and crew probably had never seen anything like it.
     Frightened, they began unloading all the cargo and dumping it
     into the sea, to lighten the ship. Soon all the sailors began
     crying out to their gods. I picture them digging into their
     duffel bags, clutching and kissing their little brass images and
     carved ivory gods. You've probably seen many people do the same
     thing today -- kissing their good-luck charms superstitiously, in
     times of trouble!

     But Jonah somehow slept through it all, hidden down in the hold.
     Yet his sleep was not the sleep of an indifferent or lazy person.
     It was the sleep of sorrow -- the deep slumber of a man who knew
     he was running from God!

     Jonah's mind and body had to be worn out from the constant
     anxiety and inner turmoil of his backsliding. His conscience was
     troubled, and he couldn't get away from it: He had ruined his
     ministry. He'd made the wrong move, and now his reputation was
     destroyed. He'd blown it, lost it all -- and now he had no
     future.

     At this point, everything was wrong between Jonah and the Lord.
     He was in total disobedience, a fugitive. And he feared the
     judgment and chastisement he knew would come. He probably spent
     his first week on the boat thinking, "How could I have done this?
     I've made the wrong decision. I've turned my back on the Lord!"

     Even if a backslider is able to sleep at night, his sleep is that
     of a condemned person. He remembers God's touch, his loving arms
     around him. He remembers being in God's house with all the
     saints, being on fire for the Lord, feeling God's hand on his
     life. But now the backslider can only toss and turn -- because he
     has turned his back on his loving Lord!

     Backslider, if you are running from the call of God, living in
     disobedience, you will have only the deep sleep of sorrow. You'll
     feel like a condemned person, worn out by guilt and anxiety. And
     you can be sure your storm will come -- because God loves you!
     You have embarked on the same trip Jonah took. And like that
     backslidden prophet, you will be tossed about by a life-and-death
     battle for your soul!

     Let me ask you: Do you think God will stand idly by and let the
     devil take you from him? Do you think he'll let you simply walk
     away and damn your own soul? Never! You once told him you'd serve
     him for life -- and he took you at your word. Jesus sprinkled his
     blood on you. And now he's saying, "That's my blood, shed for
     you. You're mine -- and I won't let you go. I'll take any drastic
     action I have to, to keep you. I may put you in the belly of a
     whale. But I won't let you run head-first into hell!"

     There are three awful consequences to backsliding. Let me share
     with you these three consequences:

                    ------------------------------------

                         1. Consequence Number One:
                           Your Backsliding Makes
                           You a Dangerous Person
                               to Be Around!

                    ------------------------------------

     When you are backslidden, you are one of the most dangerous
     people on earth -- a walking time bomb!

     Backslidden Jonah was a marked man. He knew God would not let him
     get away with his rebellion. And when he stepped onto the boat at
     Joppa, he became the most dangerous man on the Mediterranean.
     Why? It was because God was after him!

     When God has a controversy with a backslider, it affects everyone
     around him. You see, when the backslider's storm finally comes,
     it hits everybody -- family, children, coworkers, friends, even
     strangers. The storm aimed at Jonah put everyone on that ship in
     danger, along with the dozens of other ships on that part of the
     sea. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives were exposed to the
     great danger.

     For years I've heard addicts and alcoholics say, "My addiction is
     my sin, my problem only. I'm not hurting anyone but myself." No!
     Scripture proves that it's not just your problem. It's the
     problem of everyone who lives with you, walks with you, knows
     you. God is pursuing you -- and that makes you dangerous!

     One woman wrote to me: "My preacher father backslid from the
     Lord. He resigned from his church and left the ministry
     altogether. Then he divorced my mother and married an ungodly
     woman. He dragged all my brothers and sisters down with him,
     causing them to turn from God. Now he's trying to get me to
     backslide. He calls me a phony, saying I should stick with the
     family. But, praise God, he hasn't been able to touch me. God has
     been keeping me!"

     I think of a certain husband and father who was delivered from a
     terrible drug addiction. He got wonderfully saved and was
     restored to his wife and children. God blessed this man with a
     decent job. And when he came home from work at night, his three
     kids crawled up in his lap, happy and excited, thanking Jesus
     that Daddy was home. Their household was full of God's favor.

     But then the tempter showed up. Eventually, the man went back to
     snorting cocaine. Soon his wife saw something in his face she
     hadn't seen for over a year. His eyes were red again. She
     whispered a prayer: "Oh, God -- don't let it be!"

     But she knew he was hooked once more. He came home from work at
     noon, trying to drink cold water and coffee to bring himself out
     of a daze. She knew then he was no longer going to his job,
     because he'd lost it. Now he was back on the streets.

     This backslidden man became dangerous to his family. All of their
     money was cut off, and all of God's blessings disappeared. He
     tried to convince everyone, "It's my sin, my problem. I'm only
     destroying myself." No -- he was destroying his entire family!
     His three children became bitter and angry -- mad at God, Daddy,
     Mommy, the whole world. And now the grandchildren, the godly
     legacy, this man could have had might never exist.

     Just a few weeks ago, one of the top Wall Street brokers of all
     time -- a man who handled multi millions of dollars -- was
     exposed as being hooked on heroine. He snorted just before doing
     all his business deals. He even got his wife hooked, along with
     another Wall Street broker. This man lost his job, his home,
     everything. He and his wife are now living in one of New York
     City's homeless shelters.

     Beloved, nobody lives and dies only to himself! When David sinned
     in numbering the Israelites, he too became a dangerous man. The
     judgment that God sent on him fell on Israel as well. Talk about
     a deadly storm: 70,000 men lost their lives! David had to cry
     out: "..."Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these
     sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand, I pray thee, be
     against me, and against my father's house" (2 Samuel 24:17).

     Likewise, many backslidden Christians are sending their coworkers
     to hell. At one time these believers were a testimony on the job.
     They kept a Bible on their desk and were always eager to talk
     about Jesus. Their colleagues knew something was genuinely
     different about them.

     But now these ungodly coworkers realize there has been a change.
     They know their Christian colleague is backslidden! They can't
     explain what has happened in spiritual terms, but they do know
     something is different now. Their once-zealous Christian coworker
     has become like them -- and he was their last hope! They may have
     mocked him at one time, but secretly they thought, "At least he's
     somebody I can go to in trouble. He may even prove to me there's
     a God."

     This backslidden Christian has robbed them of their hope, taking
     away what little spark of faith they might have had. Now these
     heathen are convinced it's impossible to serve God. The
     backslider has become a danger to their very souls!



                    ------------------------------------

                         2. Consequence Number Two:
                            You Will Be Rebuked
                               by the World!

                    ------------------------------------

     When the ship's captain found Jonah asleep in the hold, he shook
     him awake and soundly rebuked him: "...What meanest thou, O
     sleeper? Arise, call upon thy God..." (Jonah 1:6). He shouted at
     Jonah, "What are you doing sleeping, preacher? Fall on your face
     and pray!"

     Imagine -- a prophet of God, rebuked by a heathen sailor! All the
     sailors were awake, calling on their gods -- but the prophet of
     God was asleep. Jonah had lost his testimony!

     I can imagine what the prophet thought when he woke. He felt the
     rocking of the ship, heard the men wailing in fear, saw the hold
     filling with water. He had to be thinking, "Uh-oh -- this is it!
     God has caught up with me. I'm the cause of this awful storm!"

     So he hurried up on deck to confess. He said, "Men, this is all
     about me. I'm a backslider, running from God!" "...for I know
     that for my sake this great tempest is upon you" (verse 12). All
     the sailors then cried, "Why are you bringing all of this trouble
     on us? Why were you so afraid of your God that you had to run
     from him? What kind of God do you serve, Jonah?" (see verse 10).

     The apostle Paul also suffered through a storm at sea. But it
     wasn't because he was running from God. On the contrary, Paul was
     at peace with God. He could stand confidently as his ship began
     to break apart, and reassure the ungodly crew: "Don't worry,
     gentlemen -- not one of you will be lost. I heard from my God
     last night. He has told me we're all going to be saved!"

     If you're a backslider, you probably remember a time when you
     could stand confidently in any storm or crisis. Like Paul, you
     could tell the world, "My God is able!" But now the only things
     people see in you are fear and exhaustion. Like Jonah, you are
     weak, no match for the enemy. You can't command a storm. You
     don't bring any real hope to a situation. You've lost the dignity
     that comes with walking closely with Jesus. Worldly lust has
     drained all your spiritual power!

     Worst of all, your backsliding presents to the world an
     unattractive picture of salvation. You make it seem as if it's
     more profitable to be sinner than a Christian. Now your coworkers
     say to you, "Why are you so irritable these days? Where is the
     joy you once had? Why have you stopped trying to get me to go to
     church with you? Have you quit on God?"

     There should not be a single area of our lives in which we make
     it seem more attractive to serve the devil than to serve the
     Lord. In every area we ought to have the gentleness, kindness,
     goodness and grace of God. Our lives should be a testimony that
     says, "Serve Jesus. He makes a way where there is no way. He'll
     see you through any storm!"

     But the backslider has lost that testimony. He can tell you what
     it used to be like to serve Jesus. But that isn't a testimony,
     because it has no power. And that is the rebuke of the ungodly!
     When the storm hits you full force, and you show up at work with
     sorrowful tears, they'll say to you, "What kind of Christian are
     you? Why don't you get on your knees and call on your God? I
     can't help you. He can!" They will testify to you!

                    ------------------------------------

                       I3. Consequence Number Three:
                          God Is Going to Take You
                          Down Into the Lowest Pit
                               Known to Man!

                    ------------------------------------

     If you're running from God, you'll be swallowed up like Jonah --
     in the belly of a great trial! Your trial could be your health,
     your finances, your family. Yet it will happen not because God
     wants to destroy you, but because you are his. Accept it right
     now, backslider: No man or woman who runs from God escapes the
     storm. And no human power can deliver from it!

     "(Jonah) said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the
     sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you...Nevertheless the men
     rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the
     sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them" (Jonah 1:11-13).

     These ungodly sailors tried to spare Jonah. They were experienced
     seamen and knew the terrain of the deep. As they imagined Jonah
     being eaten by sharks, they hesitated to throw him overboard.
     But, beloved, when God goes after a backslider, no one can hinder
     his divine plan!

     If you're running from the Lord, mark it down: Your crisis is
     coming, and it will be the storm of your life. Your loved ones
     and friends may try to shield you from it, but none of their best
     efforts will work. God has already made up his mind: He has a
     purpose in sending the storm. And he knows if you are rescued
     from it before he can discipline you, you'll never be saved!

     "...Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three
     nights" (14-17). After the storm follows the darkest, most
     critical moment of your life. It's called the pit of despondency.
     Jonah's trial took him down to the deepest recesses of the earth,
     where there was no light at all. He testified: "I went down to
     the bottoms of the mountains..." (2:6).

     What an awful condition Jonah found himself in: total darkness,
     seaweed wrapped around his body, water sloshing up against him
     constantly. And the physical pressure must have been incredible.
     Even submarines have to be pressurized to go into the deep.
     Jonah's ear drums had to be in constant pain.

     Backslider, can you imagine being in that kind of dark, stinking
     mess? Take a good look -- because it's a picture of where you're
     headed! There is coming upon you a night of terrible darkness, a
     time of absolute despair and despondency.

     Jonah had two options in his dark pit of despair. And the same
     two options are available to every backslider who goes down into
     the belly of a dark crisis:

        * 1. You can give in to the despondency and hopelessness,
          convinced God hates you for your disobedience. You can say,
          "I'm so far down, I can never get back to God. There's no
          hope for me!" Despair will rule your life, sinking you ever
          deeper into the pits of depression.

     Jonah easily could have given in to this spirit of despondency.
     If he had, he would have died in the whale's belly, his name
     never to be spoken again. You may object, "But God had ordained a
     mission for Jonah. He never would have let him die down there."
     No! God could have found someone else for Jonah's mission. We all
     have free will to choose -- and Jonah had to make a choice
     concerning his attitude.

     Beloved backslider, you too can give up in your storm! When
     everything is against you -- when you descend to the lowest pit
     of anguish, feeling swallowed up by despair -- you'll think God
     has abandoned you. You'll be tempted to say, "It's no use. God
     doesn't care. He can't possibly love me, because he's allowed all
     this trouble to fall on me."

     When you get to that point of despair, you have a choice to make.
     That brings up your second option:

        * 2. You can call on God for mercy. You can come back to the
          Lord, no matter how far from him you've run!

     Thank God, Jonah made the right decision: "Then Jonah prayed unto
     the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, and said, I cried by
     reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of
     the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice" (verses
     1-2).

     The whole purpose of your storm is to press you to do as Jonah
     did -- to turn back to God! The Lord is pressing you to return to
     your first love -- to come back to his house, call on him, and
     trust and pray your way out of trouble. You only have to choose
     to do that!

     This true story is meant both to warn and encourage you. Like
     you, Jonah thought God was finished with him. He cried: "I am
     cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy
     temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the
     depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my
     head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with
     her bars was about me for ever..." (verses 4-6).

     But in the end, Jonah made the right choice, praying: "When my
     soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came
     in unto thee, into thine holy temple....I will sacrifice unto
     thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have
     vowed. Salvation is of the Lord" (verses 7-9).

     I have a minister friend whom I first met a number of years ago.
     I loved this man dearly. He was one of the sweetest, gentlest
     people I'd ever met -- a simple, trusting man who had a burden
     for lost souls. Everyone knew he was called to do a great work
     for God.

     Then he began to have trouble in his marriage. Each time I saw
     him, he seemed a little cooler than before, a little more
     despondent. Then one day I received a call from a mutual friend
     who said this pastor had resigned from the ministry. He'd left
     his family and run off with a female drug addict who had
     backslidden from the Lord.

     Soon the storm hit this man's life full force. First there was
     financial ruin. Then he discovered his lover couldn't satisfy him
     after all. Moreover, she had gotten him hooked on pot. Now he was
     in a deep depression, miserable and despairing.

     I'll never forget the look on this couple's faces when I met with
     them. Neither of them would lift their eyes to meet mine. He was
     now selling drugs. And she knew she had broken up a gospel
     preacher's family. Both were in the belly of the whale, utterly
     despondent.

     I said to this man, "I still love you, friend. I want you to know
     I'll walk beside you. More importantly, the Lord loves you.
     Please -- let me take you by the hand and bring you back to the
     Savior. The Lord will restore everything the cankerworm has
     eaten."

     But my friend was so low, so discouraged, he answered, "No,
     Brother David, I'm too far gone. I've sinned too deeply, too
     intentionally, against Jesus. There's no way he could forgive me
     for what I've done. I've sunk too low!"

     I sat with them for two hours with my Bible open, trying to
     persuade them to come back. But nothing I said could console this
     former minister. I couldn't pull him out of his despair.

     Like Jonah, this man had two options. Even though he felt God had
     given up on him, he only needed to cry out from the belly of his
     hell, "Oh, God, I've sinned against you. Deliver me!" And the
     Lord immediately would have reached down to deliver him.

     But each time I reached out to this man after that, I realized
     he'd gone deeper into the pit. Eventually I lost all contact with
     him. The last I heard, he was far gone, still mired in the depths
     of despair.

     What about you who are reading this message? Have you backslidden
     and refused to return to Jesus? You may say, "Brother Dave, you
     don't know what I've done and how far down I've gone." Let me
     tell you, friend: If you allow yourself to wallow in your fear,
     guilt and condemnation, you'll be crushed in it -- and end up
     hard-hearted!

     Or, you have another choice. You can say, "No! I've read a
     message of hope -- a message of strength and power in Jesus. I
     can go home to my Lord. I can turn back to him!"

     I believe that as soon as Jonah started praying in the whale's
     belly, God began drying up a nice spot somewhere inside the
     cavernous fish and said, "Now, Jonah, come sit over here and
     worship me." Jonah must have had some revival meeting with God
     inside that dark place. Meanwhile, God was guiding that whale
     across the Mediterranean, beaching him on the shore and making
     him vomit up Jonah. Out came a man of God -- set free, anointed
     and back on schedule with the Holy Ghost's plan!

     God restored everything for Jonah. And he wants to restore
     everything the devil has taken from you. He wants to give back
     everything to you in good measure. That's why he has left this
     glorious promise to all his backslidden children:

     "Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so
     have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the
     Lord....they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten
     the Lord their God. Return, ye backsliding children, and I will
     heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art
     the Lord our God" (Jeremiah 3:20-22).

     All you have to do is simply return. It is God's work to heal
     your tendency to backslide: "...I will heal your backslidings..."
     (verse 22). Turn back to your gracious, loving Savior. He
     promises to bring you all the way back to himself!

                 ------------------------------------------

 Plain Text File + Related Bible Study + Home Page + Subscribe + Copyright

                 ------------------------------------------

         Times Square Church Information | New Reader Information

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

COPYRIGHT/REPRODUCTION LIMITATIONS:

This data file is the sole property of World Challenge. It may not be
altered or edited in any way. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for
circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data
file must contain the copyright notice [i.e., "Copyright (C)1998 by World
Challenge"]. This data file may not be used without the permission World
Challenge for resale or the enhancement of any other product sold. This
includes all of its content with the exception of a few brief quotations.
Please give the following source credit: Copyright (C) 1998 by World
Challenge, Lindale Texas.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                          The Missing Link, Inc.
       Linking Troubled Youth and Adults with Life-Changing Programs
                      Web Site - http://misslink.org
              Chapel Site - http://misslink.org/chapel2.html

                                ------------

           Copyright  1998 - The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel
                        North Central Ohio, U.S.A.

                                TOP OF PAGE

           Our webmaster welcomes your comments and suggestions.
                 This page was last updated May 12, 1998.

  Why Revival Tarries/ "Help!"/ What's Here/ Sponsor/ Statement of Faith/
   Bible Study/ Around the Piano/ Bulletin Board/ Library/ Pulpit Series
