CLOSING THE BACK DOOR– 3
1. I know of some preachers who are no longer preaching.
2. Some of these men no longer attend worship.
3. I know of elders who have departed from the Lord.
4. There are deacons who have gone back in the world.
5. Children, husbands, and wives, have all left the faith.
6. In recent weeks, we have discussed church dropouts and Christians who are weak.
7. It has been noted that close to 75% of all religious people suffer from this problem at some point.
8. Attention has been paid to the subject of commitment and the lack thereof.
9. We have examined how active and inactive members see each other.
10. Today the attention shifts to the fact that this problem can affect anyone.
11. This problem is both short and long term.
TODAY WE WANT TO LOOK AT CHURCH DROPOUT IN THE SHORT TERM. NEXT WEEK THE PLAN IS TO LOOK AT SOMEONE WHO GOES AWAY FOR A LONG TIME.
1. One of the best examples of a short term departure from the faith is Peter.
2. Before Jesus was apprehended, Peter made a very strong commitment.
3. In Mt. 26:33 he said that he would never be offended by Jesus.
4. He claimed that he was ready to die for the Lord.
5. Not too long after these statements were made, we find some very different convictions.
6. Here is what is recorded in Lk. 22:55-57 – READ.
A. It was affirmed that Peter was one of the Lord’s disciples.
B. Peter made a denial. He made a very firm denial.
C. Perhaps we can put his denial into a more modern setting.
D. Suppose someone says that we worship with the people who are here this morning.
E. This is true, but we respond, “I do not worship there.”
F. In fact, “I have never been in the building. I do not know who the church leaders are.”
G. “I do not know when the service times are.”
H. “I
know nothing about the
7. This was the type of denial that Peter made.
8. In addition to denying that he knew Jesus, Peter denied that he was a disciple.
9. This information is found in Jn. 18:25.
10. Jesus was being sent to the high priest while Peter was getting warm.
11. While Peter was around a fire, he was asked a question.
12. Here is what the text says – READ Jn.18:25.
A. Peter was an apostle. He was one of the chosen.
B. He had been part of the Lord’s inner circle.
C. On this occasion, he said that he was not a disciple.
13. Peter was backsliding. This man was tumbling downhill.
14. The passage that completes the picture is Mt. 26:70.
A. It was bad for Peter to say that he did not know the Lord.
B. Saying that he was not a disciple was worse.
C. The scripture that show the full depth of his denials is in Mt. 26.
D. If you have found Mt. 26:70 let’s look at it together – READ.
15. Peter made his denials in public.
16. “Before them all” he denounced Jesus.
17. JESUS KNEW THAT PETER WOULD DO WHAT HE DID. JESUS KNEW THAT PETER WOULD FALL SO HARD AND FAST THAT HE SAID HE HAD PRAYED FOR HIM (LK 22:32).
A. Peter may have said or thought that this prayer was unnecessary.
B. After all, he had pledged to die for the Lord.
C. He said that he would never denounce His master.
D. Yet, we find that Jesus prayed for him Lk. 22:32 – READ.
E. Jesus did not want Peter’s faith to fail.
18. The word fail is an interesting word.
19. About 100 years before Christ it described “renouncing a lease.”
20. This is a good illustration of what happens to Christians who drop out or are weak in the faith.
21. They make a commitment but it is not kept, or it is not kept well.
22. In the LXX the word fail was used to describe the evaporation of water (Genesis. 8:13).
23. This illustration may also be applied to delinquent Christians.
24. As water slowly dries up, so God’s people can have spiritual lives that wither.
25. The contract with the Lord can be broken.
26. Peter had promised to keep his commitment.
27. The passages we have looked at show that he failed to honor his word.
28. What happened to this man can happen to any other Christian.
29. It can happen for the very reasons that affected Peter.
A. Peter apparently had a problem with pride.
B. He said that others might leave Jesus, but not him.
C. The Old Testament warns that pride goes before the fall, Prov. 16:18.
D. I know of a preacher who boasted how he was still preaching.
E. Other classmates had quit but he was still going.
F. Guess what? He is still a faithful Christian but wants a paycheck from the world.
30. Jesus taught that humility is one of the first steps in the Kingdom of God.
31. He said “whosoever shall humble himself shall become great in the Kingdom of God.”
32. When a person loses his or her humility, they are taking the first step backwards.
33. Peter learned these lessons the hard way.
34. Another problem that affected Peter was alertness.
35. The Bible warns Christians to be alert.
36. In 1 Pet. 5:8 we are warned to be watchful because Satan is like a roaring lion.
37. In Heb. 2:1-3 the writer says we out to “give the more earnest things to what we have heard.”
38. How come? The end of the first verse says “lest haply we drift away from them.”
39. The people of God can be drawn away.
40. The Hebrew writer said, “watch out.”
41. Another problem that afflicted Peter was fear.
42. Jesus was being put on trial.
43. Peter was being charged with being an accomplice.
44. It was said that “he was one of them.”
45. At the present times there are times when our faith is tested, and tested hard.
46. If we are like three of the seeds described in Lk. 8 and Mk. 4, we will not last.
47. There must be an unflinching commitment to God and His word.
48. Fear and worry and on-going detriments to a Christian’s faith.
49. Fear so gripped Peter that he denied Jesus.
50. Another problem for Peter was the company that he kept.
A. Can we name a Christian who has left the faith because he or she got in with the wrong crowd?
B. It happens to young people who are in high school and college.
C. It happens in homes, neighborhoods, or at work.
D. It happens to those who are young and those who are not.
E. Peter sat “with the officers” (Mt. 26:58).
F. At a later time (Acts 1), he was with some other saints and praying.
G. When he was in the wrong place and with the wrong people, he made wrong choices.
51. His choices ultimately caused him to Jesus in a variety of ways.
52. This is what apostasy still does to people.
A. If we are not as faithful and active as we can be, we are denying the Lord.
B. We are denying Him of time that He deserves.
C. We are taking from Him honor, worship, love.
53. In some instances, this is a short term problem.
54. Peter did not leave the faith for years and years.
55. He suffered a short term lapse.
56. It was very serious, but it was not prolonged.
57. What this man did makes for an interesting point of application.
A. There are cases where people leave the faith for a little while.
B. There are Christians who have some weak moments/days/weeks.
C. These times need to be recognized and dealt with.
D. Peter was given a chance to repent and he did.
58. Mt. 26:75 says that he went out and “wept bitterly.”
59. Mk. 14:72 says that Peter “called to mind” the Lord’s predication.
60. When a Christian begins to slip from the faith, he or she needs to think about some things.
61. Thoughts like, “What am I doing” should go through the mind.
62. Peter had these kinds of thoughts.
63. Thankfully, he had a good enough heart that he listened to the words of Jesus.
64. He allowed the Word of God to prick his heart and he repented.
65. Mark adds that while he thought on these things, he wept.
A. Last week we established that the word of God is the way to help Christian who are slipping.
B. This is exactly what we find at the end of Mk. 14.
C. If the Word of God cannot pierce a heart, nothing can.
D. The word works in people (1 Thess. 2:13), and it worked in Peter.
66. Peter came back and worked faithfully to serve the Lord.
67. Each Christian can be weak or stumble from the faith.
68. The road to apostasy is often gradual until it builds up speed.
69. What about us?
70. Are we fully dedicated to the Lord, or are we beginning to slip?
71. Have we, like the Hebrew writer said in Heb. 2, started to drift?