CLOSING THE BACK DOOR - # 1
FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS I WANT TO TURN OUR ATTENTION TO PEOPLE WHO CAN BE OVERLOOKED.
A. Stated another way, we want to do some thinking about church dropouts.
B. One researcher said that 50% of all religious people drop out at one time or another.
C. If this figure is anywhere close to accurate, church dropout is a serious problem.
2. The New Testament indicates that this figure is pretty close to being right.
3. Think about the parable that was read for the scripture reading.
4. There was a man who sowed some seed (Mk. 4:3).
A. Some of this seed fell on hard ground (verse 4).
B. Jesus explained this part of the parable in verse 15.
C. Some are exposed to the word of God but they soon move on to other things.
5. A second kind of person is described by Mk. 4:5.
6. Some respond; Jesus added that these respond with “joy” (verse 16).
7. Though the initial response is quite good, this second kind of person does not last.
8. Jesus said that souls like this have no “root” (verse 17).
9. A third kind of convert is described by verse 7.
10. Some become a Christian, are faithful for a while, but eventually depart.
11. Jesus ended this parable by speaking about those who stay faithful to God.
12. Of the 4 illustrations that Jesus used, only 1 describes people who continued in the faith.
13. In this parable the dropout rate is 75%.
14. In the New Testament we read about dropouts.
A. Jn. 6:66 says that “many” of the Lord’s disciples went back and “no longer walked with Him.”
B. Jesus had people leave Him.
C. Some who had God Himself for a teacher said, “we’re quitting.”
D. The apostle Paul knew about dropouts.
E. There are some words in 2 Tim. 1 that sound like they written by a broken hearted man.
F. Perhaps as Paul penned these words he was thinking about some close friends.
G. Perhaps tears stained the page as he wrote this part of the epistle.
H. Here is what he said – 2 Tim. 1:15 – READ.
I. If you turned to this passage, look about two pages over – 2 Tim. 4:10A – READ.
J.
Skipping down 6 verses to
K. Paul was able to name some church dropouts.
L. He knew several people who were not like the good soil in Mk. 4.
M. In 1 Jn.
15. THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT SOME CHRISTIANS HAVE LITERALLY GONE OUT THE BACK DOOR. SINCE THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR A LONG TIME, SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED? SHOULD WE DO ANYTHING? IF SO, WHAT SHOULD AND WHAT CAN WE DO?
A. The first question relates to concern.
B. We should be concerned.
C. People may forsake a number of organizations in life and not be harmed.
D. The church is a special place.
E.
Acts
F. Christ died for the church.
G. When people leave the Lord’s body, they leave the place that Jesus died to buy.
H. This is a very serious decision.
I. The Hebrew writer said something about it in Heb. 10.
16. This writer had a different point in mind, but what he said still applies.
17. In verse 28 this author referred to the Old Testament.
18. In verse 29 he spoke about the Lord’s blood.
19. READ Heb. 10:28-29.
20. To say “goodbye” to the Lord’s body for the reason in Heb. 10 or any other is a very serious matter.
21. Since this is so important, what should we do when someone says “I’m done?”
22. What should be our response to church dropouts?
A. Some might say, “Let the elders handle it.”
B. “It is the preacher’s job. Turn it over to the deacons.”
C. Preachers, deacons, and elders, all have a part.
23. This area of work is not limited to the groups of people.
24. Gal. 6:1 says, “brethren
even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye spiritual restore him.
Paul did not specify, elders, preachers, or deacons.
25. He said that those who are “spiritual” need to help.
A. Who are the spiritual?
B. Do we remember the parable from Mk. 4?
C. The spiritual are those who are like the good seed.
D. These people are active, productive, and committed to God.
26. In light of Gal. 6 and Mk. 4, God seems to say this:
A. When it comes to Christians, there are basically two categories.
B. We are like the good seed that is active, busy, and productive.
C. The second possibility is that we are like seed that is dead or in danger of dying.
D. It is hard to find a third category in the Bible.
E. Rev. 3:16 says that a “lukewarm” is not pleasing go God.
27. What causes people to be in one category but not the other?
28. If someone is like a seed that is dead or dying, how do we help them?
29. If we are like the busy and productive seed, and others are not, what should we do?
30. THESE
ARE QUESTIONS THAT WE HOPE TO EXPLORE IN SOME DETAIL.
A. For today we may make a preliminary observation.
B. The people who are like the good seed have Christianity as the priority in their life.
C. These people have determined that they will not be a quitter regarding the faith.
D. Going to heaven is their number one goal in life.
E. Some of us have recently spent some time looking at Phil. 3.
31. Paul was someone who was like the good seed in the Lord’s parable.
32. What made him this way?
33. What kind of attitude did he have?
34. I want to read some of the things
that he said to the members of the church at
35. A good place to begin is verse 1of Phil. 3 – READ.
A. Paul “wrote the same things.”
B. Mature Christians are not ashamed to be reminded of the basics.
C. From time to time we need this information, and new people need to be exposed to it.
D. In order to, shall we say, close the back door, the fundamentals need to be taught.
E. Some time needs to be devoted to the basic facts of the faith.
F. To be like the good seed, we need to know the basics as well as we know the alphabet.
36. Part of the foundational information we need involves our commitment to God.
37. Let’s see what else Paul said — verse 8 – READ.
38. Paul “suffered the loss of all things.”
A. Some think Paul was married and his wife left him after he became a Christian.
B. Whether this is true or not, this man made Christianity his priority.
C. He said this was the one thing that mattered to him.
D. He was willing to give up everything he had for it.
39. The 12th verse pictures Paul’s Christian life as a race.
40. In verse 20 he said his “citizenship” was in heaven.
41. This man had made a commitment to God that he would not break.
A. Other people who have pleased God had this same kind of dedication.
B. There is the example of Noah as he built the ark.
C. Abraham was told to leave what he had and go where God led him.
D. Joseph
had faith in God, though he ended upon in
E. There was David’s faith that allowed him to challenge and beat Goliath.
F. We cannot overlook Elijah as he met the prophets of Baal.
G. There were the three Hebrews who refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s god.
42. The warm weather has passed for the year and not many people are thinking about planting crops.
43. When crops are growing it seems like some are able to weather almost every problem.
44. In spite of wind, violent rain, cold, and hail; some plants seem to come through no matter what.
45. Others die, or are too sickly to be productive.
46. A similar thing is true for each one who wears the name Christian.
47. Each child of God makes a decision about the kind of Christian he/she will be.
48. If we compare our self to the illustration Jesus gave in Mk. 4, what would we say?
A. Are we like the strong plant that is trying to produce a great harvest?
B. Or are we like one of the 75% seeds?
C. Have we heard the word of God but chose to let it go by the wayside?
D. Can we compare our life to the “rock ground” faith?
E. We started to grow, but didn’t last too long?
F. There is also the kind of seed that fell among the thorns.
49. It started to grew. It had hope and life.
50. With the passage of time the cares of life choked it and it died.
51. To some these questions may be offensive.
52. Is it not better to ask these questions now than to hear Jesus on the Day of Judgment say,
53. “You had your chance to be like a seed in good soil. Your life was not like the good seed.”
54. Three out of the four seeds in Mk. 4 were failures. 75% of the described people failed.
55. What does this tell us about the people who are saved?
56. It tells us that the Lord was exactly right.
57. He said that few will be saved.
58. He said that gate to life is narrow (hard to get through) and most will not make it.
A. If the judgment day were today, would everyone in here be like the good seed?
B. Would the Lord find anyone in this assembly who is like the three poor seeds described in Mk. 4?
C. If He would, and we know that we are in the 75% category, something is wrong.
59. We have at least one more opportunity to make things right with Him.
60. This opportunity is now.