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The Bible reads here, there is a way which seemeth right into a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Even in laughter, the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness. The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways, and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. And the title of the sermon this morning is Backsliders. So what is a backslider, okay? Now if you've been in church for any length of time, you've heard the term backslider, backslidden, you know, backslidings more than once. Now what does it mean? Well, let me start off by saying that the term backslider and the varying forms of it is found in the Bible, okay? In fact, it's found at least 17 times in the Bible. So it's a biblical concept. It is a biblical teaching. You say, well, why are you going out of your way to even mention that? Obviously it's in the Bible. Well, simply for the fact that there is someone out there by the name of Ray Comfort who teaches there is no such thing as a backslider, you know? He has all kinds of popular sermons that are called Hell's Best Kept Secret and all these other foolish sermons and heresies that says there is no such thing as a backslider, which is very parallel to what Paul Washer would say that there's no such thing as a carnal Christian. It's kind of interesting that these Calvinists like to say there is no such thing as things that are actually found in the Bible, like a carnal Christian and a backslider, right? But the reason he has to say that is because he believes in what's called perseverance of the saints. What does that mean? Well, perseverance of the saints is a doctrine that Calvinists teach that say that if you are truly saved, you will persevere until the end. In other words, you'll remain in church, you'll keep reading your Bible, you'll live a holy life, you'll do that which is right on the side of the Lord and you'll persevere up until the end, okay? And they basically say this, if you don't, you weren't really saved in the first place. You see, if you ask a Calvinist, can you lose your salvation, they'll tell you, no, you can't lose your salvation. However, if you don't persevere until the end, you were never really saved to begin with. Well, that's a false, that's false doctrine, okay? And so he says there's no, this is his favorite phrase to say, he says there's no such thing as a backslider, you know? He says, only false converts, is what he says. He goes, there's no such thing as a backslider, they're just false converts, is what they're saying. Well, the reason he says that, first and foremost, is because he's preaching a false gospel, therefore anybody who he preaches to doesn't ever get saved, even if they agree with what he says. But secondly, he's saying that because, you know, even if someone was saved, okay, and they come into church and they get out of church, they'll say, well, you know, he's not remaining in the ways of the Lord, therefore he's not acting like a Christian, therefore he's not a Christian, therefore he's not saved. Well, that is a false teaching, simply for the fact, let me give you some reasons why, or what's wrong with this argument. If there's no such thing as a backslider, why is it mentioned 17 times in the Bible? Okay? So to say there's no such thing as a backslider is to negate the fact that the Bible actually mentions it. But secondly, to say that backsliders were never saved in the first place is foolishness and folly, because we're not saved based upon our perseverance and endurance, we're saved by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the third reason is common sense, okay? Because there's saved men in the Bible who backslid, who got into some really bad sins. You know, the Bible says, Demeth hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. Now go to 2 Peter chapter 2, because I believe 2 Peter chapter 2 is one of the greatest examples of someone who backslid, and the Bible, I mean, God on purpose put a phrase before his name to let you know, hey, he's a saved man. I'm referring to the man named Lot, okay? Now who is Lot? Lot is Abraham's nephew in the book of Genesis. Now if you don't know anything about Lot, let me just give you a brief overview of who he is and what he did. He's Lot's nephew, and he's a man who the Bible says pitched his tent towards Sodom, which eventually led him to live in Sodom. You say, what is Sodom? It's a city of homos, is what it is, okay? Viperbaits and sodomites, that's where the term sodomite comes from. So this guy's so backslidden, that he actually decides to live in San Francisco, in the midst of it, and he's living there among them. But he's a saved man. He's like, I don't think he was saved. You know, if he was saved, he wouldn't do those things. Well, let's look what the Bible says, 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 6. It says, in turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them in samples unto those that after should live ungodly, and delivered just Lot. Now, that doesn't mean he just delivered Lot, okay, because his daughters got delivered too and his wife was delivered until she decided to turn back and was turned into a pillar of salt. What does it say in just Lot? It means he's saved, he was justified, and delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked for that righteous man, the Bible says, dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds. So no one can look at Lot and say, oh yeah, he was a righteous Christian. No, but you know what, he was a righteous man in the sense that he was saved. You know why he wasn't living righteously? Because he was living with a bunch of faggots. And the Bible says there, in seeing and hearing their unlawful deeds, he vexed his righteous soul. You know why? Because a saved person, that stuff is going to bother them, okay? Why? Because it's going to vex your righteous soul. You know that it's wrong, you know that it's filthy, you know that it's not of God, and it's going to bother you, okay? But here it says, I mean, God specifically refers to him as just Lot, and just in case you don't understand what just Lot means, he reiterates in verse eight, that righteous man. Well, we know, based upon his life, that he wasn't living righteously, so that's not what it's referring to. It's referring to the fact that he was righteous in Christ, he was a saved man. Okay, now go to John chapter six. So to say that, you know, a backslider is not saved to begin with is foolishness and folly, because we see examples of that in the Bible. I mean, Lot is a byword and a proverb, but thank you, Lot, because you help us prove this point very good. Now, I find it ironic, in John six, verse 66, so John 666, okay, I don't believe in biblical numerology, but I find it ironic that this is called John 666, and it says there in verse 66, from that time, many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him. So this is referring to a hard sermon that Jesus Christ was preaching about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, and he was, I mean, he spent a good amount of time in this chapter talking about that. Well, a lot of his disciples who were saved heard these things, and they say, this is a hard saying, who can hear it, right? And the Bible says in verse 66, from that time, when they heard that sermon, many went back and walked no more with him. What does that mean? They back-slid, is what they did, okay? Now, why is it, you say, well, why would it be in John 666? Well, simply for the fact that it's an evil thing to forsake the Lord. It's an evil thing to get away from the things of God, and again, I don't believe in numerology. I just find it ironic that it's in John 666, okay? And of course, the other example I quoted already, for demons have forsaken me, having loved this present world. And really, that's what it comes down to, someone who back-slides, it's someone who basically has set their affections on the things of this world. They've stopped setting their affections on things above, the things of God, the most important things of life, and they begin putting their focus on other things outside of God's word and will. It's a sad thing. Go to Hebrews chapter number 10. Hebrews chapter number 10. Hebrews 10 is a very good proof text to show you that you can back-slide and still be saved, okay? Now, don't walk out of here saying, well, Brother Bruce says it's okay to back-slide, okay? I'm just saying, if you do back-slide, you're not gonna lose your salvation, we understand that, okay? But look at Hebrews 10, 38 says, now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. So we see there that if someone draws back, they back-slide, God's not pleased with that. You know, God's not pleased when you get out of church. He's not pleased when you're not reading your Bible and you're not praying, you're not winning souls to Christ, you're not putting in an effort to live a life that's holy unto the Lord, he's not pleased with those things, okay? But look what it says in verse 39, but we are not of them who draw back into perdition. In other words, we're not of them who draw back and then we like lose our salvation, we go to hell. It says, but of them that believe to the saving of the soul, okay? So it's telling us there, look, when we back-slide, yeah, we're not right with God, God is not pleased with us, but we're not gonna draw back into perdition, why? Because we believe that our souls are saved. So the reality is is that back-sliders are still saved, but that doesn't mean that they're in good standings with the Lord, okay? A back-slider in its simplest definition is someone who just basically draws back in their Christian life. Now, go to Hosea chapter number four, please. So the fact that God uses the term back-sliding implies that at one time, they were going forward, right? Because to go back means at one point, you were going forward. Well, when we get saved, you know, you get into a good Bible-believing Baptist church, you get into, you get a King James Bible, you start getting excited about the things of God, you learn how to preach the gospel, you're on fire, but guess what? Over time, as I mentioned before, the newness begins to wear off. And if you don't have character, if you don't have discipline, if you don't have the right motives, if you're not doing things for the right reasons, guess what? Eventually, you're gonna start sliding backwards, you're gonna start going backwards. The Christian life, obviously, we understand is two steps forward, one step backward, right? Why? Because we're not perfect. We're gonna fail sometimes, you know, we're gonna do wrong sometimes, we're gonna say things we shouldn't have said, do things we shouldn't do, but the point is, we need to keep pressing forward. If you're not constantly making an effort to press forward in your Christian life in all those areas, then you're gonna back-slide, you're gonna get out of church, you're gonna do those things that are not pleasing unto the Lord. Let me read to you, before we go to Hosea, let me read, you don't have to turn there, Philippians chapter 3 and verse 13 says, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Hosea 4.16 says, For Israel slideth back as a back-sliding heifer, now the Lord will feed them as a lamb in a large place. Well, what is a heifer? It's a cow. So, it's picturing a cow going uphill, and it's basically saying, you know, she's no longer going uphill, she's sliding back. Gravity's taking her back, okay? Don't be a back-sliding heifer. You know, look, and the funny thing is, a heifer's heavy, right? Well, in Hebrews chapter 12, the Bible tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, is what the word of God says. So, one thing that will get us back-slidden is when we allow sin in our lives, okay? And I'm getting ahead of myself, but I just want to mention that. So, obviously, we understand what back-sliding means. Now, just understand this, we obviously can't measure how spiritual we really are, okay? And we can't compare ourselves among ourselves, because the Bible says that that's foolish. I can't say I'm more spiritual than you. You can't say you're more spiritual than me. We can't compare ourselves with each other. We don't know exactly how right we are with God. However, we can take a general consensus of our lives and conclude if we're living within the parameters of God's word, okay? We can say, okay, I do go sowing, you know, I'm trying my best to be faithful to church, I'm trying my best to fight sin in the world, I'm trying to make sure that I love my wife and that I'm submitting to my husband, you know, I'm trying to do my best to live in accordance with God's word, you know? That's a good measuring stick to see if you're back-slidden or not, you know? If you can't answer a resounding yes to those things that you're doing, you know, you're probably getting away from the Lord. And often, we mistake the fact that someone who's back-slidden is just out of church. You could be in the service and be back-slidden, you know? Because I don't know your heart. The Bible says that the back-slider in heart shall be filled with his ways. And it always starts in the heart, doesn't it? You know? You start getting lazy in your heart, you start being critical in your heart, you're regarding iniquity in your heart, well, you know what, for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. And eventually, you're going to act out those thoughts, you're going to act out those habits, you're going to act out those motives that you have in your heart. So someone who gets out of church, let me just tell you, they were out of church long before they actually got out of church, okay? You know, while they're here, they stop listening to the preaching, they started ignoring me or they started criticizing me in their heart, they didn't agree with something that I said, they started playing on their phones, they started doing whatever, and they started looking forward to other things outside of church, and after a couple weeks, what happens? Then they just get out of church, okay? That's the way it works. So go with me if you went to Jeremiah chapter 2. Now the term backslider and the different varying forms of that term primarily are found in the book of Jeremiah, and in Jeremiah, obviously, Jeremiah's preaching against Israel and Judah, okay? Now these are nations, but that's not to say that we can't take what he's saying to these nations and apply it to us personally as individuals as well, okay? Because you read Jeremiah and you're like, man, I'm guilty of that, or I've seen someone do something like that, you know, he's speaking to a nation, but it's almost as if he's referring to an individual person, and that's a good way to apply it to our personal lives. Now before we get into this, as you're listening to these points, don't nudge the person next to you. Don't start thinking about someone in the church. Think about yourself. Examine yourself. Take the consensus of yourself. You know, oh yeah, that's brother so-and-so for sure, and you start like, you kind of like want to look over him to see if he's like, if he's paying attention. No, pay attention to yourself. See if you're involved in these things, okay? And look, the purpose of this sermon is so that you don't backslide. It's going to happen one time or another, but the point is this, and look, all of us backslide from time to time. How long do you remain in that backslidden state is a different question, you know? Because then you hear a red-hot sermon that preaches against your sin, I step on your toes or someone else, and you're like, okay, I repent, I want to get right, I want to correct this. See, but the flip side of that is the person who's just, they're obstinate, they're stubborn. What happens? They listen to a sermon, they're like, nah, that could change, you know? I'm not changing. Nah, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Okay, then remain in your backslidden state. Be filled with all your ways, and guess what, eventually you'll get out of God's will. And with that, you don't receive God's blessing, okay? Now, Jeremiah chapter 2, so what are the characteristics of a backslider? Number one, I would say this, they begin to lose their fear of the Lord. They begin to lose the fear of the Lord. See, that's too basic, but you know what? It's the basics that makes up the things of the Christian life, okay? Look at Jeremiah 2 verse 19, 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. Go with me if you would to Proverbs chapter number three. So he's telling them, my fear's not in you. And look, the Bible commands us over and over again to fear the Lord thy God. I'm all for reverencing and respecting God, but guess what? We ought to fear him. Be afraid of God. Why? Because he's terrible. I can't believe you said that about me. He says that about himself. He's a terrible God. And look, why should we fear God? Because he's all-powerful. He's all-knowing. He's omniscient. He's omnipotent. He's omnipresent. He's almighty. And the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 12 and Proverbs chapter three that he will chastise us if we get away from God. That ought to put the fear of God in our hearts. But you know what? When we stop fearing God, we start dabbling in other things that we're not supposed to be dabbling in, okay? Look at Proverbs chapter three and verse seven, it says, be not wise in thine own eyes. Fear the Lord. And what's the result of that? And depart from evil. You know, when you fear God, you begin to depart from evil things. Why? Because you recognize that you have an authority who's gonna reprove you. He's gonna correct you if you don't. You know, if you drive down the 710, the 605, or whatever freeway, and everyone's speeding, okay, I know you don't speed, but let's just give an illustration of someone else's speed, right? They're speeding down. I mean, everyone's just like, going fast. And all of a sudden, everyone starts slowing down. You're like, why is everyone slowing down? Well, if you look between the cars, what are you gonna see? A highway policeman, right? And they're slowing down because they're like, I don't wanna get a ticket. You know why? They're behaving themselves because there's an authority figure there. So it goes without saying, that's a perfect example of how God works because once we recognize that God is always there, we tend not to do the things that we're not supposed to do. You tend not to give in to the temptations that you have. You tend not to do those things that are displeasing to the Lord. Why? Because you recognize God is watching you. You don't have to turn there. Proverbs 16, 17 says, the highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul. So it's interesting. It says, the highway, when you're going up, you know, how does that song go? I'm on the upward bound, or I don't know. I'm pressing on the upward bound, right? Way, sorry. I know the Bible, I don't know hymns too well, okay? I'm pressing on the upward way, new heights I'm gaining every day, right? That highway of the upright, but what are you doing as you're going up that highway? You're departing from evil. You know, you're shedding those bad habits. You're getting rid of things, you're repenting of sins that you've been struggling with. You're getting better, okay? But when you start backsliding, you don't depart from evil. Go to 1 Peter chapter number 3, 1 Peter chapter number 3, I'm going to read to you from Proverbs chapter number 5 and verse 21 where the Bible says, for the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings. I mean, how would you behave if you understood that God is constantly watching you? He's constantly pondering your, and not just your actions. The Bible says that he pondereth the heart. I mean, no one can see your heart, right? The inner recesses of the heart, but God can. You know, hell and destruction are before the Lord. How much more are the hearts of men, the Bible says. If God can see hell, which is thousands and thousands of miles into the earth's crust, where no man can see and he can see those people burning in hell, how much more can you see the inner recesses of your thoughts in your heart? It's a scary thought, but you know what, that ought to invoke the fear of God in your lives. That ought to tell you, man, I need to make sure that I'm just, I'm walking with God, I'm doing right by the eyes of the Lord. You say, oh, that's cultish. Why should we be afraid of God? Because God in any moment can kill you, that's why. And he's done it in the Bible, he'll do it again. Okay, what do I have you turn, 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse number 10 says, for he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile. Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and ensue it. Why? For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. God says, you know what you ought to make a habit of? Hating evil. Ye that love the Lord, hate evil, the Bible says. And you ought to make a habit of hating evil, why? Because the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous at all times. You know, we ought to practice, my father-in-law used to say, practice the presence of God. Recognize that he's always around. You know, if we do that, we'll watch what we say, okay? We'll watch what we look at. We'll watch what we think, why? Because we understand that the authority is watching over us. Go to Proverbs chapter 15. Proverbs chapter number 15. So what's the first thing that, the characteristic of a backslider? They don't have the fear of God in their lives, okay? And you know what? These people who are outside of church and they think that they're walking with God, they think they're reading their Bibles and they think they're right with God, but they're involved in all kinds of sin, they're not right with God. They're backslidden. Why? They don't have no fear of God in their lives because a characteristic of someone who fears God is that they depart from evil, okay? Look at Proverbs 15 verse 3 says, the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. You know, that's a good verse to just think about when we're frustrated with evil people, right? God sees even the evil that people do. Murderers and pedophiles and wicked people who get away with crimes all the time, they may get away from the authorities of this world, but you know what? They're not going to get away from the judge of this world. You know, they're going to pay. Why? Because he sees everything. You know, you're like, oh, I know some person back in the day that never got caught, they always did all these things, but you know what? God's going to repay that person. Okay, why? Because he saw their wickedness. He saw what they did behind closed doors. But you know what? That applies to us as well. It says the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. Hey, if you're dating right now, okay, if you're involved in a relationship, make sure that relationship has a foundation of a fear of God on both ends. Why? Because a guy's a guy and a girl's a girl, and they have a tendency to like each other. You know what? And if you don't, look, take this with a grain of salt, and if you don't agree with me, then oh well, okay? If you date, if you're dating a girl, it's probably not the wisest thing to do to go out by yourselves, okay? That's old IFB. That's where I came from, you know? Sorry. You're going to hear things like that every once in a while. You know, you should have a chaperone when you go out on a date. What, you don't trust us? No, I don't trust you. And you're foolish to think that you can trust yourself. Yeah, but I love God. But you know what? The Bible tells us that we ought not to tempt ourselves. We ought not to place ourselves in a position where we could potentially do something that's stupid, that's wrong. And look, if you don't do this, I don't hate you. I don't think any less of you if you don't do this. I'm saying this for your sakes. Get a chaperone, okay? That's too old-fashioned. You got it right? That is old-fashioned. But you know what? It's there. It's a precaution that's there to protect you so you don't do something stupid like fornicate, okay? And then you get thrown out of the church, all right? So and why is that? Because look, when we're involved in a relationship, the fear of the Lord goes out of the window sometimes because your emotions are just there and you're a red-blooded man and you love the girl and she loves you. You know what? You say, well, not me. Well, you know what? Take heed lest he fall, okay? He that standeth, take heed lest he fall. And the person who says, not me, well, you're a perfect candidate to be involved in some wicked sin, okay? Proverbs 1, 7 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. You see, the backslider omits that thought. When someone gets out of church and they're backslidden, they try to put God as far away from their thoughts as possible. Obviously, they can't. They have the Holy Spirit of God living within them. Their spirit bears witness with their spirit that they are the children of God. But they don't want to retain things in their mind in regards to the things of God. Why? Because they want to just live their own lives. But you know what the Bible says? Fools despise wisdom and instruction, okay? The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. That's how we learn things. That's how we know. It's like, oh, okay, that's what I shouldn't do because it's going to harm me. I'm not going to do it anymore. So number one, the first characteristic is this, is that they don't have the fear of God in their lives. And if that's not you today, amen. But you know what? Remain that way. Cultivate a fear of God in your personal lives. As God, Lord, help me to fear you because I don't fear you the way I ought to, okay? I'm not afraid of you as I should be, you know? And if you're not afraid of God as much as you should be, then you need to cultivate that fear in your life because it'll benefit you, okay? Now go to Jeremiah chapter number 14. We'll primarily be in Jeremiah, so keep a finger there if you would. So what's the natural byproduct of not fearing God? Well, a backslider will then begin to develop sinful habits, okay? Because when you don't fear God, what happens? You start sinning. You start developing sinful habits. Now we all sin. The Bible says that there's none that do with good, no, not one. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's not a just man upon earth that do with good and sin if not. We're constantly sinning. But here's the thing. There is a difference between sinning, missing the mark, and just developing a habit of constantly sinning where you're not repenting, you're not getting it right, okay? Look at Jeremiah 14 verse 7 says, O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy name's sake, for our backslidings are many. We have sinned against thee. Go to Jeremiah chapter number 3. It's true that the Christian life is a balancing act. Because once you got one area in your life like where it needs to be, like another area of suffering. So what do you do? You gotta go take care of that area, right? And make sure you're balancing that area. But what happens when you do that? Then another area begins to suffer, right? And you're just constantly balancing. But the problem is this, when you just let everything go to mush, when you just let everything fall apart, okay? And the backslider, what they'll do is they basically stop working on themselves, you know? They just give up. They're like, ah, I'm just gonna keep listening to worldly music, you know? Or I'm just gonna keep watching these worldly shows. I'm just gonna keep doing this. I can't fix this situation. I'm just gonna give up on it. Well, you know what? You're backsliding, man. Okay? And God's not expecting you to be perfect, but you know what He is expecting is for you to grow in grace and in the knowledge, and what is grace? Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, okay? And look, it all balances out with God's mercy, because He's patient and He's long-suffering with us. So when we're trying to do right, we're putting the effort to do right, and then we mess up. Well, you know what? A just man falls seven times and rises up again, the Bible says. You know, that's when we can count on the mercies of God. We can count on His long-suffering, His grace with us. But you know what we shouldn't do is just say, okay, you know, I can't do it, so I'm just gonna give up completely and just remain in this sin. No. Just get your butt up and do it. Try again. Tomorrow's another day. Try it again, okay? Don't be a quitter. Look at what Jeremiah 3, verse 6 says, the Lord said also unto me in the days of Josiah, the king, has not seen that which backsliding Israel hath done. She has gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot, the Bible says. I'm gonna read to you from Jeremiah 3, verse 8, it says, I saw, and I saw when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, I have put her away and given her a bill of divorcement, yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. You know what's sad? When you backslide, you often take someone with you, you know, because Israel did it and then Judah did it, right? And often what happens is, especially if you have any level of influence, you eventually will take people with you when you backslide. Why? Because people are watching you. I'm not a leader. I don't have that title. Someone's always, a leader is someone who basically has influence over even one person, you know? And if you have influence over one person, that one person is looking to you as a template for how they should live, okay? But you know what happens when you backslide? You take that person with you, all right? And what you do in moderation, the person you take with you will do in excess, guaranteed, okay? So one good motive to just stay right and do the things of God is that there's people watching you. You don't want to cause them to stumble. You know, when you're discouraged, when you're depressed, when you're going through a hard time, just man up. It probably lasts for like a week. Go get an In-N-Out Burger, go to ARTS, amen? Go get your, sorry, Dr. Rita, go get some vegetables, right? Gotta balance it out, amen? Go get some sleep, and then tomorrow's another day. The mercies of God are new every day. And often, you know, just get used to getting discouraged every once in a while. It's part of life, okay? But discouragement ought not to be an excuse as to why you start backsliding. I'm discouraged. That's why I didn't come to church this morning, you know, I'm too discouraged. You know what? You need to grow up is what you need to do, okay? Because that's a dumb way of thinking. To say you're discouraged and therefore you're not going to come to church, you know, that's when you need church the most. That's when you need the preaching the most. That's when you need to read the Bible the most is when you're discouraged, when you're depressed, when you're doing bad, okay? Now go with me if you're in Jeremiah, go to chapter 3 and verse 12. I didn't finish my thought. So a backslider will lose the fear of the Lord, but they'll begin to develop just sinful habits, you know? And here's the thing, it multiplies after a while. Because you fell in one area, therefore you give yourself an excuse to fail in another area, okay? And what happens? You know, the Bible says that the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. So when you're backsliding and you're giving yourself over to sinful habits, what are you doing? You're feeding the flesh. Therefore, when another sinful temptation comes along its way, you'll give into it a lot easier. Why? Because you're weak. You're not feeding the spirit. You're not reading your Bible, you're not praying, you're not asking God to fill you with his power. Therefore you're backsliding. And so sinful habits eventually will destroy you, obviously, okay? Because they can start off small. You know, you can start off with a small little sin, but guess what? It eventually grows like a mushroom, and it'll eventually destroy your life, okay? Now number three, so a backslider, we said, you know, often doesn't have the fear of the Lord. A backslider will get into sinful habits, develop sinful habits, but, and I mentioned this already, but this, it goes without saying that a backslider will just simply stop reading the Bible. Okay? Why? Because this is the most spiritual thing that you can do in your Christian life, is read the Bible, okay? Not just listen to preaching on YouTube, read the Bible. Don't be some biblically illiterate Christian, spiritually blind Christian where all you can do is listen to preaching, but you're not reading it with your own eyes. It's good to listen to preaching, despite not prophesying, we understand that, but the Bible tells us that we need to read the Bible every day. Jeremiah 3 verse 12 says, go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, return thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you, for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and has scattered thy waste to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord, for I am married unto you, and I will take you one of a city and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion. Verse 13 says, ye have not obeyed my voice. You know, people who backslid, I guarantee you, they're not reading their Bibles anymore. And you know where it starts? It's when you start reading less, and then you start making excuses why you're not reading your Bible, okay? Now let me just say this. There is somewhat of an exception to this, okay? Don't misunderstand me. When a woman is pregnant, okay, we have two pregnant ladies here, okay, or when a woman has many children, it's a little more difficult for them to read their Bible at a consistent time every single day. They kind of have to try to fit in reading the Bible into their schedule because they're so busy. You know, children, if you don't know this, children keep you very busy. You know, some people are like, your wife doesn't work. Oh, no, she works. She's at home, and she's working a lot. My son keeps her very busy, okay? My daughter keeps her very busy. Why? Because she eats a lot. Who does she eat from? From my wife, okay? And then she's got to keep my operation going, okay? So obviously, with mothers, during that transition, during that season, it's a little more difficult for them to be consistent throughout the day as to when they read their Bible. But let me say this. They still need to read their Bibles. They need to make time to crack open the Word of God and read it, okay? And look, don't use this excuse, well, I'm still, I'm just a baby Christian. I'm a new Christian. But if you're going to grow at all, you need to start reading the Bible. And get out of John. Get out of Proverbs. Get into Leviticus. Go into Psalms. Go into the Minor Prophets. Get out of the New Testament. Go into the Old Testament. Read Deuteronomy. Read Judges. Read 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles. Read all these wonderful books in the Bible. I just have a hard time understanding it. Well, you're not going to understand it more by not reading it. I mean, it doesn't, understanding the Bible doesn't happen by osmosis. You need to read it over and over and over again. Look, you read any one of those books that I just named off of, that I just named off, you will understand something, okay? And look, the Holy Spirit knows what you're able to handle, what you can't handle. He's going to teach you, all right? We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit that teaches us. Well, I mean, don't you have faith that the Holy Spirit can teach you something out of those books? He's going to teach you what you can learn at your capacity at this time, you know? Even if it's a character in the Bible, like, wow, I didn't even know that person. Hey, your name might be in the Bible. Like, wow, I didn't know that name was in the Bible. Well, guess what, now you just learned something, amen? But you will learn something. Don't think that just because it's the Old Testament and it's far bigger than the New Testament and all these things are, I don't know what's going on, I'm just going to stay away from it. That's the worst thing you can do, okay? But a backslider will just negate reading the entire thing. Oh, they'll carry the Bible to church. They'll bring it. They're King James, you know, only all day long, KJV only, NIVs of the devil, you know, KJV, NIV, ESV, STD, they'll rag on all the false versions of the Bible all day long. But they're not even reading the King James Bible that they supposedly adhere to. You know, that's a sad statement. You know, don't be a backslider. Read the Bible. And look, this is the worst way to, let's say for example's sake that you've not read the Bible in quite some time. I don't know who that is, okay? Let's say after today you're like, you know what, I'm going to start reading the Bible. Don't do this. I'm going to read 20 chapters today to make up for lost time. Not a good idea. Not a good idea at all. Because what's going to happen, you're going to say, I'm going to read 20 chapters every single day, God, you know? By the way, don't vow that, okay? But I'm going to read 20 chapters every single day. Well, what's going to happen is you might read 20 today. And then tomorrow, you know, things are going to come up, you know, and what's going to happen? You're going to read like five chapters. You're going to be like, oh, man, I got to make up for those 15 that I didn't read. So I got to put those upon the 20 that I need to read tomorrow. And what happens, by Wednesday, you're not even reading the Bible again because you're discouraged again. Look, little by little, here a little, there a little, okay? If you haven't read the Bible like in a month, okay, start off with a couple chapters. You know, eat until you're full, okay? And then thank the Lord, ask Him to help you to understand. And then tomorrow, there's a new day, you know, approach that day the same way you approached the day before, okay? Read it again. You know, the Christian life is not a sprint, it's a marathon, okay? So in a marathon, you have to kind of like pace yourself. You know, don't try to like just sprint to 20 chapters in that day. You know, it would be good for you to read 20 chapters someday, but it doesn't have to be today, okay? Read the Bible. But backsliders, they'll just negate the fact to read the Bible at all. You know, they're hypocrites is what they are, all right? Now go with me, if you would, to, you're in Jeremiah chapter 3, I'm gonna read to you from Hosea 4, verse 6, says, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, because that was rejected knowledge, the Bible says. So the reason people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, knowledge of God's word, is because they rejected it, you know? So we said number one is that a characteristic of a backslider is that they don't have the fear of God in their lives. Number two, they begin to develop bad habits. Number three, they no longer read the Bible. And look, don't replace preaching here for your Bible reading. They say, well, give attendance to reading, we're reading a whole entire chapter in church. But that's as a church, all right? You need to read it individually. Now here's the big thing, a backslider will often begin to justify themselves, okay? In other words, they can't admit that they're wrong. That's a prime example of what a backslider is. And look, let me just say this, when you're wrong, you're wrong. No use trying to justify yourself, just admit that you're wrong. Because why? The Bible says that God resisted the proud and giveth grace unto the humble, is what the word of God says. Look at Jeremiah chapter 3 verse 9 says, and it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom. Those are good words, isn't it? Whoredom and all that? Whoredom that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. And yet for all this, her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly, saith the Lord. And the Lord said unto me, the backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. These are the people that say, well, you know, I'm not in church because I don't like brother so and so. You know, I got a reason why I'm not in church. You know, the pastor did me wrong or whatever, the pastor preached against me and I don't like this. You start coming up with all these excuses and you're just justifying your backslidings is what you're doing. You know, oh, it's because of X, Y, and Z. You know what? Give all the excuses you want, you're just justifying yourself is what you're doing. Okay? Because at the end of the day, God will not command you to do something that He will not allow you and empower you to do. You know, He doesn't command us to do impossible things. That which He commands us to do, we're capable of doing. So if you don't do it, that's your fault, that's not God's. Okay? That's your fault, that's not the circumstance you're in, all right? Don't justify yourself. Go to Jeremiah chapter 3 verse 13. I'll read to you from Proverbs 26, 16 says, the sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason. You know? Often, the backslider is just lazy. He's just rendering seven excuses, more than seven men. He's rendering all kinds of excuses why he's not in church. Oh, it's just that I was, you know, I had to go do this and I had to go do that. You're just being, you're just full of excuses of what you are. Don't justify yourself. Say, man, yeah, I wasn't in church, that's my bad, because I know I need to be in church. Okay? You know, that's more respectable than someone says, no, no, I have a good reason why I'm not in church. Okay? Now, I'm not saying there's not a good reason why not to be in church, like if you're sick, you're throwing up, okay? You're dying, you're dead, you know, these are good, legitimate reasons why not to be in church. Something tragic happens in your family, okay? Don't think that I'm just saying you can't miss church for any reason, okay? Obviously, there's legitimate reasons why. The brother here, he's from Oklahoma, he could have gone home, he's like, we literally tarried longer just so we can be in church, okay? You know what we need to do? We need to look for excuses why we need to be in church is what we need to do, okay? When you start coming up with excuses as to why you can't be in church, why don't you start coming up with more excuses as to why you should be in church? Jeremiah 3, 13 says, They are only acknowledged thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and has scattered thy waste to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. It says, Only acknowledge thine iniquity. You know, God is so good to us, he's so gracious, he's so merciful, that he just says, look, all you have to do is just admit it, that you're wrong. Just admit it, you're iniquity. That's all you gotta do. This is what that looks like, God. I messed up. I'm not in church, that's my fault, I'm sorry. You know what God says? Forgiven. Cleanse you from all iniquity, all transgressions. And guess what? Then he never brings it up again. And you can just move on. That's how good God is. But you know what? He gets ticked back when someone just justifies themselves. Well, you know God, my situation, well, I can't be in church. God's like, just acknowledge your iniquity, just admit that you're wrong, and that's final. And look, that goes for any area of life, okay? Admit that you're wrong in any area of life. And let me just say right off the bat, I'm going to be wrong one day, okay? And when I'm wrong, thanks, Marcos. By the way, he knows that because he's known me longer than most people in this room other than my wife. I've been wrong. And I've admitted to him that I've been wrong. Why? Because there's no use to just justify yourself and just say that you're not wrong. No, why? Why is that? Like, this guy's just being proud, you know? Better to just say, you know, I'm wrong. And you know what? Your respect for that person grows because of that. You're like, man, this person's willing to admit that they're wrong. I'm going to be wrong. You're going to be wrong. Just admit it, though. Okay? Oh, but I just think, see, there you go again, justifying yourself. Just admit it. Okay? Job 920 says, if I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me. If I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. You see, when someone justifies themself, it's a red flag. They have a banner that says, I'm actually guilty of what I'm trying to justify myself of. Your own mouth is condemning you, all right? Let's see here. Go to Jeremiah, chapter number 5. The Bible says in Luke 16, verse 15, about the Pharisees, and he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts. You know, we're not fooling God. You know, you like to justify yourself before man, but you're not fooling God. God knows your heart. So he said that a backslider will stop fearing God. They will create sinful habits, which leads into what? Not reading the Bible. They'll begin to justify themselves, but also a backslider will wax worse the longer they backslide. Jeremiah chapter 5. What does that mean, wax worse? You're just going to become a worse person the longer they remain in that state of being backslidden. Jeremiah 5.6 says, Wherefore, a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities, everyone that go without fence shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased. You know, I mean, I've met people who have been out of church for a long time, and then I won't talk to them for a long time, and maybe I get ahold of them, or they call me for whatever reason, and it just seems like they've just gotten worse and worse and worse. Things that they used to condemn and not believe and all these things, they're involved with now. You know why? Because you increase as a backslider when you get out of church, okay? And it goes without saying, look, it's easier, I mean, okay, let me start over. It's obviously a little difficult to obey God's commandments, right, okay, consistently every single day, to live a life that's holy unto the Lord, to do that which is right in the eyes of God. That's difficult at times. I mean, I'd admit that. I mean, it's hard for me. I don't know about you, okay? That's hard, okay? But it's easier in comparison to trying to get right with God when you've been out of church for quite some time. You see, it's very hard to get back on track when you've been out of track, off the track, for quite some time. That's why it's important, guys, that for some whatever reason, let's say you get sick and you get out of church, you determine in your heart that as soon as you get better, you're back in church because here is the nature of the beast. I'm not calling you a beast. Here's the nature of the beast. Often when you get sick and you get out of church, it's just easier to miss church thereafter. That's just fact. I've seen it many times in my personal life and the lives of other people that when you miss church for whatever reason, a legitimate reason, you know what happens is that it's easier to say, I'll go next week. I'll just go during midweek service. I'll watch Brother Bruce online. I'll just, you know, the sermon I miss, I'm just gonna watch it. You know what's gonna happen is a month, two months is gonna go by and you've been out of church for two, three, four months because it's just easier to do that. You know, better to just fight, fight, fight to stay in church, fight to stay right with God, fight, be tired, but go to bed with a clear conscience of knowing I'm doing right rather than do wrong and continuing to do wrong and increase your backslidings, okay? I've met people who, you know, they've gotten out of church and then what happens? They get into drinking. And what happens then? They get into drugs. What happens after that? They get into fornication. What happens after that? They start having babies out of wedlock and all these crazy things that they get involved with life because their backslidings are increasing and then when they want to get right with God, they have a whole bunch of crap that they need to fix. You know, better to just fix right then, right here in the service when we pray, you get right with the Lord and then you can move on and keep fighting that same thing, okay? Rather than building up all your sins, you know, all these habits and then it's like, man, this is daunting. I have so much to fix in my life. And then, by the way, if that's you today, don't get discouraged. You're doing the right thing. You're on the right track by just being in church. You know, you're in church. You're taking the right steps. You're doing a lot better than the person who's just backslid and their backslidings are increasing. They're not going into church, okay? At least here you're like, yeah, but you don't know my problems. You know, I don't, but I do know this is that you're on the right track by just being in church, okay? That's in the Bible and you're doing the right thing. Keep at it, okay? But backsliders will wax worse and worse the longer they backslide. I had a friend years ago who, he got saved the day after I got saved. So he got saved and I brought him to church and someone witnessed him and he got saved. And man, he got on fire for God. He was in church. He was serving in church. You know, he was just doing all the right things. And you know, for a time, he actually, I was in Bible college about a month after I got saved and I was learning things. You know, I was learning concepts, I was learning principles and he ended up going to Bible college as well. Well, he ended up backsliding. He ended up doing really bad. And by the way, a primary reason why he backslid was because he kept his old friends around. And this is not in the sermon and I should have put this in here, but you know what? Thank God that God brought it to mind. One of the things that will help you to backslide is keeping your worldly friends around, okay? Why? Because birds of a feather flock together, okay? A companion of fools shall be destroyed, okay? Look, when I got saved, I had a bunch of bad friends, gangsters and thugs and people who I used to hang out with and party with. But you know what I did? I basically invited them to church. And if they didn't come to church, sorry, you can't be my friend then, you know? And I even did this. I erased their numbers from off my phone and then I changed my numbers so they didn't have my number. So just in case when I was discouraged, I wouldn't give them a call or text them and say, hey, come pick me up or something. And then also, maybe if I was discouraged and I didn't have their number, they couldn't contact—the devil couldn't tell them to contact me. Why? Because I understood. These guys are going to drag me down. I want to live for the Lord. And you know what? I love these guys. I enjoy the things that we used to do. And if I'm not careful, I'm going to get involved in those things if I allow these people in my life again. So look, major thing, stay away from your old friends. Better yet, witness to them, get them saved and get them into church. But if they don't want to adhere to those things, you know, you need to make some new friends. I just—where do I make new friends? Right here. You got Mark right here. Raise your hand, Mark. Mark's looking for a friend. Alex. Raise your hand, Alex. Right there. Chad. Hi. Got a bunch of good friends here. There's ladies in the church you can be friends with. You know, you need to have some new companions. Because look, Alex is going to tell—when you talk to Alex, he's going to talk to you about the Bible. When you talk to your old buddies, they're going to talk about smoking pot and, you know, getting stoned and all these things and doing things that you used to do. And guess what? That's going to create a desire within you once again to do those things. Stay away from those people. Okay? Now, where was I at here? So their backslides are increased. Next, a backslider will behave stubbornly and pridefully. Look at Jeremiah chapter number 8 and verse number 4. I didn't finish my story. Sorry. Sorry about that. So my friend, he was in church, he was doing well. He got his friends saved. And he comes from, like, a party life and just, like, just party hardy. And I remember he brought his friends to church. They're rough around the edges, but they got saved. They got saved. They got baptized. They were coming to church. But here's the problem. After church, they all three would take off together, you know what I mean? Like, oh, but they're all Christians now, Brother Bruce. You know, what's wrong with that? Well, here's what's wrong with that is that those two friends, they're still babes in Christ. And they're still worldly. And they're still smoking pot. They're still doing things. They were worldly. They were sinful. And I remember him telling me this afterwards. He would say, yeah, I would go there, and I would tell him, man, you guys can't be doing that stuff, man. This is wrong. This is wicked. That's wrong. You know, that's sinful. And he'd fight them off. But you know what? Two chords are better than one. You know what happened? They overcame him. And eventually, they're like, hit this. And he was just like, yoink. You know? What happened? It was probably a day when he was discouraged. It was probably a day he had a long day, you know, tired from work. You know, he wasn't dating. He didn't have a wife to come home to. Or he just got his face raped. Who knows what it was? And what happened? On that moment of weakness, that moment of temptation, when that temptation came, he gave in. And then he came to me and said, I'm leaving. I'm not going to be here anymore. I'm talking about not just the Bible. He left church just in general. He's like, I'm leaving. I'm out of here. You know? I don't want to do this stuff anymore. And he left. And so he left, and then, you know, for years, for years on end, I didn't talk to him. I would talk to him every once in a while. But every time I would talk to him, he would just be doing worse and worse and worse. And then the last time I talked to him, which is maybe like last year, he got a hold of me. And he'd say, hey, I heard you had, you have children. You got married to Sarah. I just want to congratulate you. I said, how are you doing? He's like, I'm doing bad, you know? I'm getting a divorce, children, you know. Just bad. He's like, I'm doing pretty bad. I said, why don't you get back in church? He's like, I got too many things going on right now, you know. And it's sad. It's a sad thing. Because he was a friend of mine, and I loved him, and to see, you know, everything, just how the world and the devil just destroyed his life, you know, and my heart went out to him. To be honest with you, I heard from him just to hear him say, I'm not doing too good, you know. But you know what? That's the result of backsliding, you know. If you would have just stuck it out, just dealt with the discouragements, dealt with, you know, I've enjoyed my Christian life since I've gotten saved. Has there been bad days? Yeah, of course. But you know, there's been more good days than bad, okay. And I'm saved. Even if every single day of my life was bad, I'm still saved. I'm going to heaven, you know. It can't get any worse than what's here, you know what I'm saying, as far as in this life, in this world, okay. My worst day here is an unsafe person's best day. So a backslider will behave himself stubbornly and pridefully. Jeremiah 8, 4 says this, Moreover, thou shall say unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Shall they fall and not arise? Shall he turn away and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slitting back by a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to see. They refuse to return. What does that mean? They're just being stubborn. And the Bible says that stubbornness is as iniquity, you know, because you know you're in the wrong and you don't want to get it right. Don't be a stubborn Christian, hard-headed, just, in Spanish they say it, tierco, right? Is that it? Terco. Gracias, Serbano. Terco. It's terco. It's like, you're just stubborn, man. Just fix it. Get it right. Repent. But no, I refuse to return. You know? Okay. Then you know what's going to happen? Then you're going to suffer the consequences of your actions. You see, God is, he's gracious and he's merciful, but he's obviously so loving that he's actually willing to allow you to suffer loss and go through pain just to get you back where you need to be. Amen. Look, I'd rather just get back to where I need to be before all the sufferings and the hurts come, before he needs to spank me and whoop me. I'd rather just say, I repent. I'm sorry. I want to get it right. Let me fix it. Rather than him just say, so you're being stubborn, okay? Boom. You know, something bad happens in your life and you're like, okay, I want to come back now. But you know what? I come back suffering loss. Okay? Now, let's see here, go to Jeremiah 49, because they're not only stubborn, they're prideful. You know, this goes along with justifying yourself, but sometimes they're just haughty. You know, they start acting in a disrespectful way or they think that they're still right with God. Look at Jeremiah 49 verse 4 says, Wherefore, glorious thou in the valleys, thy flowing valley, O backsliding daughter, that trusted in her treasure, saying, Who shall come unto me? Man, that's a haughty statement right there. Behold, I will bring fear upon thee, saith the Lord God of hosts, from all those that be about thee. And he shall be driven out every man right forth, and none shall gather up him that wandereth. This backslider is just like, who's going to mess with me? I'm making money. Yeah, I'm working on Sundays, but I'm making money. Who shall come unto me? God is going to come unto you. God is going to instill that fear of God in you. He will make it happen. Okay, now, go to Jeremiah chapter number 5, we're almost done. This is the last point here. What's the last characteristic of a backslider? A backslider often learns the hard way. It learned the hard way. You know, the easy way is just to hear a sermon like this, and say, Okay, I'm not going to backslide anymore. I'm done. Let me just go ahead and get that right and fix it and just enjoy the goodness of God again. Taste and see that the Lord is gracious. Amen? But a backslider, they learned the hard way. They got to get whooped by the Lord. They got to suffer loss. Something bad has to happen in their life in order for them to get right with the God. Jeremiah 5, 6 says, Wherefore, a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them. A leopard shall watch over their cities. Everyone that goeth out then shall be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many and their backslidings are increased. Go to Jeremiah chapter number 2. So who's a lion? Satan. Right? Satan, the lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, the Bible says. You know what God does? Because obviously, God has Satan on a short leash, okay? It's not like Satan just kind of does what he wants. He has to get permission from the Lord, okay? He has him on a short leash. God uses Satan, and you know what he'll use him for? To destroy your life, to get it right, to get yourself right with the Lord, okay? He will allow this world, he'll allow Satan to just eat you up and spit you out to get you right with God. Look at Jeremiah chapter 2 and verse 19 says, Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backsliding shall reprove thee. Know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, and that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts. He says, your own wickedness, your sins are going to correct you. You know what that's called? That's called the built-in consequences of your actions is what it is. You know, when you get yourself a DUI or whatever, you know, because you're backsliding. Or something bad happens to you on a Sunday because you're not in church. You know, well, thine own wickedness corrected you, you know? Your iniquity has chastised you, it's corrected you. But you know that's how backsliders are. And often, look, so if you know someone in our church who has backslidden, and there's been a couple people who have backslidden, even in our church, when they come back, okay, this is what you don't want to say. So your wickedness corrected you, huh? Thine own backsliding has corrected you, is that why you're back, you know what I mean? Where you been, man? I haven't seen you. You been backslidden? You don't say that. That's not the right way to say it, okay? You're a fool if you say something like that, okay? When they come through those doors, they're probably coming because, yeah, their wickedness did correct them, or they suffered loss. You know what? They're coming back with humility, and you know, they want to get right with God, they're trying to take the right steps. This is what you say. Man, it's good to see you. I missed you. We missed you. And try to make their church experience the best experience ever. What are you doing after church? You want to go get a bite to eat? Let's go hang out. What are you doing this week? Because that's what they need. You know, they're coming back ashamed, probably. Ashamed because they've been involved in things they shouldn't have been involved with. They know they haven't congregated. And you know what? In their minds, they're thinking, everyone's going to ask me where I've been. Everyone's going to, you know, be asking questions and condemning me. You know, obviously that's not true, but that's what they're thinking. So we want to make sure we counter that and not do that, okay? You know, don't call them out for backsliding. Don't call them out for being involved in some sin. You know, if they're getting it right, say, hey man, we missed you. Man, that's so cool you're back. So how you been? How's everything? You know, let's go out for some coffee. You want to go out soul winning today? Can you be my partner? You know, make them feel as welcomed as possible. Why? Because they just got chewed out by the world. You know, and you don't know what kind of loss they have suffered while they're out there. Whether it's a job, maybe they lost, a family member, finances, you know, God's chastisement is just not very pleasant. The last thing they need is your chastisement, okay? They've already gotten it. So when they come back, welcome them, love them, shake their hands, give them a hug, and make them feel as welcomed as possible, okay? Why? Because their backslidings have chastised them. Now, go to Hosea chapter 14. So what's the conclusion of the matter? What do you do if you're backslidden? Jeremiah 3, 22 says, Return ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God. God is saying, look, doesn't matter how bad you've gotten, doesn't matter how far you've gotten away from God or from church, God can heal those things. That's what's awesome about God. He has the power to destroy your life, but he also has the power to rebuild it, to fix it up again. You know, you're like, yeah, but I'm like this much in debt and all these problems, but you know what? God can help you with that. Now, obviously, we shouldn't come back to the Lord just so God can just fix those things, but that's kind of part of the benefits of coming back to the Lord, is that God, the Bible says, I think it's in Joel where it says that he will restore that which the locust hath eaten. Locust is often a sign of God's judgment. The locust would come and eat all the crops, right? And God says, I will restore what the locust hath eaten. So keep that in mind when they come back or when you come back, just when that backslider comes back, you know, they think, I got all kinds of problems. We know God can restore all those things. He can fix all those things, okay? But it requires you being faithful, consistent, and going forward for God. Look at Hosea 14, 4 says, I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely, for mine anger is turned away from him. Amen. He says, I'll heal you. I'll love you. Everything will be okay, but you just got to come back, okay? So what's the sermon this evening? Don't be a backslider, okay? And if you're a backslider today, this is what you do, just repent, repent, get it right, and start going forward, okay? Now maybe you're not backslidden, okay? Then keep going forward, and make sure you don't fall to any one of these traps right here, okay? And recognize this, we will all backslide at one time or another, but immediately, once you've honed in that you're backsliding in whatever area, get it right. Fix it, so that you don't leave church, you don't leave God, you don't leave all these things that can potentially harm you because you're outside of God's will. Amen? Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Father, we thank you so much for your word, and thank you so much for the by-words and the proverbs found within the word of God that teach us. And Lord, I pray that you'd help us all. We're all gonna go backwards every once in a while, and I pray that you help us to be conscious of when we go backwards so we can correct it, our actions, our ideologies, conform our thoughts and our beliefs according to your word and correct it, so we can continue to go forward. And Lord, I pray for those who maybe have backslidden from our church. Lord, we love them, and I pray that you would be merciful to them, but probably more so than that, I pray that you would allow them to be corrected so that it would motivate them to come back to the things of God, come back to church, and help us as a church to be loving to these people. When they come back and they've been chewed out by the world, help us to be kind and gracious, help us to be loving, help us to be their brethren in Christ, and help to restore them in the spirit of meekness. And we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.