Sermon Tone Analysis

APOSTASY, FAITH, & DISCIPLESHIP

MARSH SWAMP ORIGINAL FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH

JANUARY 26, 2003

EPIPHANY 3

JEREMIAH 3:21-4:2; PSALM 130; MARK 1:14-20

 

WELCOME

THANKS

LET US PRAY:

COME HOLY SPIRIT, FILL THE HEARTS OF THE FAITHFUL AND KINDLE IN US THE FIRE OF YOUR LOVE.

SEND FORTH YOUR SPIRIT AND WE SHALL BE CREATED.

O GOD WHO BY THE LIGHT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT DID INSTRUCT THE HEARTS OF THE FAITHFUL, GRANT THAT BY THAT SAME HOLY SPIRIT WE MAY BE TRULY WISE AND EVER ENJOY YOUR CONSOLATIONS, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.

AMEN

 

WHAT DOES GOD WANT FROM US?

WHAT DO WE WANT FROM GOD?

TELL STORY OF MARSHALL ASKING, “WHO WILL PICK ME UP?”

NONE OF US WANT TO BE ABANDONED.

NEITHER DOES GOD.

APOSTASY IS JUST THAT, ABANDONING GOD.

ONCE WE ABANDON GOD, WE TURN TO OTHER gods.

THAT’S CALLED IDOLATRY.

ONCE WE HAVE ABANDONED GOD AND CHOSEN OTHER gods,

WE THEN ABANDON GOD’S PEOPLE AND PRACTICE INJUSTICE.

SIN ALWAYS IS A DOWNWARD SPIRAL.

·        ABANDON GOD.

·        CHOOSE OTHER gods.

·        ABANDON GOD’S PEOPLE.

·        PRACTICE INJUSTICE.

THAT IS SIN.

THAT IS A DOWNWARD SPIRAL.

LISTEN TO JEREMIAH:

            THE PEOPLE ARE WEEPING AND PLEADING FOR MERCY.

THEY HAVE IGNORED~/ABANDONED GOD.

THEY HAVE ABANDONED THEIR FAITH RELATIONSHIP.

BUT GOD IS PLEADING WITH THEM TO COME BACK.

“COME BACK TO ME,” SAYS GOD.

            “IF YOU COME BACK,

              IF YOU ABANDON YOUR IDOLS,

              IF YOU LIVE IN TRUTH AND JUSTICE,

              THEN ALL NATIONS WILL WANT TO HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE,

              A FAITH RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TRUE GOD,

              THEN ALL NATIONS WILL BE SAVED”

 

 

 

GOD SAYS THIS MANY TIMES IN SCRIPTURE AND IN MANY WAYS.

IT’S AS IF GOD THOUGHT,

“MAYBE IF I SAY IT AGAIN AND SAY IT A DIFFERENT WAY,

  MAYBE, JUST MAYBE THEY’LL GET IT.”

 

*“I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the place of slave–labor.

~*   7 ‘ “You will have no gods other than me. 8 ‘ “You must not make yourselves any image or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters under the earth; 9 you must not bow down to these gods or serve them.”

*

*Ex 20:1–17*

* *

*34 “I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you.

35 It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples.”

*

*John 13:34-35*

* *

*THERE ARE MANY MORE EXAMPLES.*

*LOOK IN ANY BOOK OF THE BIBLE.*

*SCRIPTURE ITSELF CONVICTS US.*

*WHAT IS FAITH?*

*THINK OF FAITH AS RELATIONSHIP – NOT BELIEF.*

*EXAMPLE:*

*I CAN BELIEVE IN GOD ALL I WANT,*

*BUT IF I HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD,*

*THEN I HAVE NO FAITH.*

*GOD, BY THE WAY, NEVER ABANDONS THE RELATIONSHIP.*

*GOD NEVER LOSES FAITH IN US.*

*MY FRIEND AND MENTOR, BOB PIERCE, USE TO SAY*

*THAT THE SCARY THING HE DISCOVERED,*

*AFTER 25 YEARS IN THE MINISTRY,*

*WAS THAT GOD IS STUCK WITH US.*

*ONE OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS, MARTIN BELL,*

*SAYS IT ANOTHER WAY,*

*“GOD WILL NOT LET US GO TO HELL IN PEACE!”*

*LISTEN AGAIN TO VS 22 FROM THE JEREMIAH LESSON *

*THAT WE HEARD EARLIER,*

*  “COME BACK TO ME, WAYWARD SONS;*

*    I WILL HEAL YOUR APOSTASY.”*

*GOD PLEADS WITH US TO COME BACK *

*TO THE FAITH RELATIONSHIP THAT GOD NEVER LEFT.*

*GOD SAYS THAT THEN WE WILL BE HEALED *

*AND THE RELATIONSHIP WILL BE HEALED,*

*NOT BY ANYTHING WE DO BUT BY GOD’S OWN ACTION.*

* *

*GOD WILL HEAL OUR APOSTASY.*

*GOD WILL HEAL OUR BROKENNESS.*

*GOD WILL HEAL OUR SICKNESS AND OUR SIN.*

*AND THIS HEALING WILL BE MULTIPLIED A MILLION FOLD,*

*“…THEN SHALL THE NATIONS PRAY TO BE BLESSED LIKE YOU…”*

* *

*IS GOD, THROUGH JEREMIAH, SPEAKING TO ISRAEL AND JUDAH?*

*YES!*

*AND I BELIEVE GOD, THROUGH JEREMIAH, IS SPEAKING TO US TOO,*

*TO OUR APOSTASY, TO OUR IDOLATRY, TO OUR INJUSTICE.*

* *

*ARE WE AS GUILTY OF APOSTASY, IDOLATRY, AND INJUSTICE *

*AS OUR SPIRITUAL ANCESTORS IN ISRAEL AND JUDAH?*

*YES!*

*LOOK AROUND.

*

*LOOK AT OUR CHECK BOOKS;*

*SEE WHAT FALSE GODS WE WORSHIP.*

*LOOK AT OUR PRISONS, AT OUR ABUSED CHILDREN, *

*AT OUR MENTAL HOSPITALS, AT OUR BROKEN HOMES,*

*AT OUR DRUNKENNESS AND ADDITION,*

*AT OUR TV AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENT THAT WE TRULY WORSHIP,*

*AT THE EGO TRIPS WE TAKE,*

*AND AT THE POWER WE USE OVER THE POWERLESS.*

* *

*YES, WE HAVE ABANDONED OUR FAITH RELATIONSHIP *