The Stages of Backsliding - Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Ephesians Series)

Ephesians chapter five beginning in verse six. If you're joining us for the first time, we've been going through the book of Ephesians as a series on Sundays, and we touched on verse six, but we're gonna just launch off of that so we can understand the context of the remaining verses. Ephesians chapter five beginning in verse six. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not become partners with them.

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true, and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. Let's pray.

Lord, we ask for your voice to be clarified, and we pray that whatever lie Satan has built up in the minds of even believers in this room, that through the truth, those strongholds would be pulled down. And, Lord, we know that the enemy would love to distract this service. He would love for our hearts to be wandering and our minds to be lost in our own thoughts or things that we have to do after this service, but we pray for an authority that would arrest the attention of every person in this place. For as the tactics of Satan are going to be through your word, unveiled, we know that he will do everything in his power to try to conceal that. And one way that he will do it, Lord, we know is as your word reveals, he would try to steal the seed of this word from the hearts of people.

But we pray, oh god, that you would work in the hearts of men and women in this house in such a way, oh lord, that this seed would not only be planted, but it would forever remain and bear fruit in the lives of every person in this house. We worship and honor you in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. Usually we go through these verses and we break down the thoughts of the author inspired by the holy spirit, understanding what he's trying to say to us.

I want us to do something a little different today. It's not totally disassociated with what Paul is saying here, but it's a specific subject in light of what he's saying here. I want us to talk about the stages of backsliding. This morning, we're gonna discuss the stages of backsliding. Backsliding is a word that's found in the book of Jeremiah chapter 14 verse seven in which it describes the condition of the people of God.

And the term backsliding appears and it says, for our backslidings are many. The concept of backsliding is simply this. It's simply when a person who has walked with Christ in a devoted manner, who has walked in obedience and even bearing fruit, has come to a place in which he is now walking in the opposite direction, into a place of worldliness and sin. If you will, backsliding is when one person turns his back on the one that he follows and walks into the direction in which the Lord delivered him from. For a Christian to backslide is for him or her to revert to their previous lifestyle before Christ.

And that's not always the case because oftentimes when an individual backslides, they even find themselves in a worse state than they were before they came to Christ. The possibility of backsliding is not limited to any personality. The possibility of backsliding is not limited to a person's age. The possibility of backsliding is not even limited to the length and the duration of somebody's walk with the Lord. A person can backslide one year into their faith and a person person can backslide forty years into their faith.

As we're about to find out from a man named Peter, backsliding is even possible for those who make the greatest boast of devotion. And here's one of the most fearful things about backsliding. It is a gradual process. And so subtle is backsliding that the person who is going under that downward spiral does not even know that they are backsliding. And here's one reason why, because usually people would admit that they are in a backslidden condition when they find themselves in deep habitual sin and are experiencing the consequences of it.

But hear me very carefully. What that individual failed to realize is that they reached the final state of backsliding and they were really backsliding long before that. And so in this service, I want us to speak about the stages of backsliding. The purpose is to reveal the different phases, lest we deceive ourselves. Each stage of backsliding is one step lower into a spiritual condition that is increasingly more severe than the previous one.

Understand the stages is therefore important because it helps us gauge and measure where we are at with our walk with Christ. And the pattern in which is gonna be presented today is not the one pattern. Listen, the flesh is so deceitful. Satan is so conniving that there are many ways a person can find themselves in a tragic spiritual state. But what we're gonna find out from one particular man is probably, in my opinion, a general recession.

It's it's usually the pattern that happens with a person who walks with Christ and finds himself backslidden. And here's the hopeful part of this message, and I want you to know this right from the beginning as you hear these different stages, that at any stage you might find yourself in, any stage, you can always turn back to the Lord. You don't have to wait to get to the final stage. You don't have to wait to get to a place in which you hit rock bottom. If you can humble yourself and identify which stage you find yourself in, know this, that Jesus Christ is waiting for you to turn with open arms, any stage.

And my prayer into this message, my deep prayer into this message for this morning is that you would never ever ever forget what we're about to find out. That you will never leave and never let this truth leave your heart. It would always remain no matter where God takes you in life, whether you move to another country or you go to a different state, you find yourself in a different church, no matter where God leads you in this life, my prayer for you is that you would never forget what we are gonna impact together. The stages of backsliding. Turn your bibles with me to Matthew chapter 26.

Matthew chapter 26 beginning in verse 31. Then Jesus said to them, you will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered. But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee. Peter answered him, though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.

Jesus said to him, truly I tell you this very night before the rooster crows, you will all deny me three times. Peter said to him, even if I must die with you, I will not deny you. And all the disciples said the same. We know that Jesus is approaching his betrayal. We know that Jesus is approaching the cross.

And I do not want us to focus as much on Jesus' prediction of his disciples falling as much as I want us to focus on Peter's response. If backsliding has stages, then this stage is the first one. If backsliding can be illustrated in steps that lead towards a dark room, then this phase is the door that leads to the first step. What is that specific phase? Self confidence.

Self confidence. What we see in Peter here was a lack of willingness to admit the possibility of him falling away. What we see in Peter here is that he looked down on others and he believed by his own estimation that he was more spiritual than those around him. And though they could possibly turn their back on Christ, Peter found it within himself to say, I would never do such a thing. And what he essentially is saying here is that the flesh, his own flesh would never be able to sever his devotion to Christ.

Now this desire that Peter has should be the desire of every Christian to live wholeheartedly for Jesus Christ, to live faithfully even unto death. That is something that we all must have in our hearts. But we cannot do it, and we cannot proclaim it, and we cannot live in that place or in that frame of mind without understanding this important vital truth that Peter did not understand. That even though you have a desire to be faithful to Christ, you cannot dismiss the reality that your flesh will fight that pursuit with everything it has. You can't dismiss that truth.

You cannot think that just because you have that desire at one moment that your flesh will not come against that desire. You have to acknowledge that there is a flesh that you're wrapped up in. And though sometimes it may be quiet, though sometimes you may seem like it does not have a grip on you, it can come by surprise. Bear with me. Pay attention.

The bible tells us in first Corinthians ten twelve, therefore, therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he falls. So so he speaks to those that think they're standing. And he says, if you think that you're standing, don't forget to also think that it's possible to fall from that place. Don't let your guard down. Don't take it easy per se.

What's happening here? When you and I are not aware of the deception of our own hearts, we set ourselves up for failure from that point on. Because this is what this posture that Peter has does to you and me. That if we remain in that place of self confidence, not clinging to the mercies and the grace of Jesus Christ on a daily basis, what you and I will do over time if you stay in this phase is unintentionally challenge the words of Christ because you feel like they do not, in some cases, relate to you because you're just so spiritual. That's what Peter does.

Peter dismisses what Christ says because he feels like he's on a level in which it does not relate to him. And so there are many people today that feel like they have come to a spiritual state where they might even come to the warnings of scripture, or they might even hear a message like this, and totally tune themselves out because they feel like everything is a okay. I've been consistent up to this point. That's dangerous. Now what this is not suggesting is for you and me to always live in a place of fear.

Oh, am I gonna backslide tomorrow? Oh, am I gonna go back to my old ways? No. No. No.

It is this healthy analysis of understanding that my flesh is at war with my spirit. It is the ability to know yourself and know your weaknesses so that when you understand what your flesh is capable of, you will as a response take heed to the warnings of Christ. And as a result of taking heed, you will set up healthy boundaries around your life. A person who has a heart posture like Peter opens themselves up to dangers because they've not set boundaries because they think they're on some ultra spiritual state. And so you have people talking like this when they have this kind of a heart posture.

I can watch that. There's a little bit of nudity. There's some profanity, but those things don't affect me. I can hang out with this group of people. They're not saved.

But I'm not stupid enough to fall into the things that they're doing. I'm not dumb enough to do what they're doing. No. No. No.

No. No. They can't win me over. In fact, how am I gonna win them if I don't hang out with them? How am I gonna bring the gospel to them if I if I don't if I don't hang out in their environment, and if I don't talk the talk, and if I don't agree with what they agree with?

I won't let that guy do more than what he's doing. He's just flirting and it's fun. I like the attention, but I'll never let him do anything more than that. I won't let her talk to me any I won't let her I I won't hang out with her alone. I'll just we'll just keep this over text.

We'll We'll keep this over Facebook Messenger. We won't go any further than that. And you fail to see that Christ gives us wisdom. And Christ instructs us to watch ourselves. See second John eight says two words in the beginning of that verse, watch yourselves.

And what Peter should have done to what Christ had said here was humbly respond to it. And what you and I need to do on a daily basis is humbly acknowledge and humbly receive the warnings and the wisdoms of Christ that will keep us in a place where we are protected. And what happens here is that if you are in this phase, your hand is on the doorknob towards the downward spiral of backsliding. Why? Again, because this heart posture of self confidence will produce a neglect of spiritual disciplines that are necessary to protect you.

Oh, this is very real. I remember with my very own ears standing with two young men and hearing with my very own ears this one young man who was pursuing Christ and who was being used by God even, say these very words, you know what guys? I can come to the place now where I can even see pornography on my screen and not let it affect me. And as I heard those words, the person beside him says, you are headed for so much danger. Within months, that person backslid so hard that he gave so much grief to his family.

Stage one is self confidence. When you fail to realize that your flesh is at war and you fail to cling to the mercies of Jesus Christ and it produces a neglect of spiritual disciplines, which was what happened to Peter. Because stage two of backsliding is prayerlessness. Stage two of backsliding is prayerlessness. Verse forty and forty one.

And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, so could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Stage two of backsliding is when prayerlessness is more common than prayerfulness in someone's life.

And prayerlessness, brothers and sisters in Christ, is the evidence of a person who indirectly admits that he is not in need of Christ's strength, of Christ's wisdom, of Christ's grace, of Christ's revelation, of Christ's spirit in you on a daily basis. A person who does not pray is a person who does not know his need. A person who does not pray is a person who thinks that he can do it on his own. And though he may not rightfully admit that with his lips, he is indirectly stating that with a lack of prayer. Now do not confuse this stage of backsliding with a person that has a desire to pray, but they are entering into a season of great busyness or they have found themselves in a place of great battle and they cannot give themselves over to the Lord in the place of prayer as he would want to or she would want to.

That's that's not what we're talking about here. We are talking about a person's desire for prayer that has completely been relinquished. We are talking about a person that has lost their understanding of the need to be on their knees. We are talking about a person who has a flippant attitude towards the privilege of this mystery called prayer. That's what we're talking about.

And though this person who has found themselves in stage two of backsliding would try to justify their lack of prayer because of busyness or because of weariness, if you really shave off those excuses, what you will find in their hearts is a lack of desire to meet with God. Why? Because if they're honest with their selves, they have the time. If they're honest with their selves, they can meet with God. But it has been substituted usually with carnal things that do not benefit anything to the spirit.

Let me ask you a question. If I were to give you $1,000 every single day for you to meet with God in the closet, would you find the time to do it? I'm willing to give you $1,000 of hard cold cash for you to meet with God on a daily basis. Would you not find the time? Of course you would.

Why? Because your discipline is motivated by a reward. But see, many people fail to realize this, that there is something greater than a thousand dollars waiting for you in that prayer closet. What is waiting for you when you hit your knees to the ground, when you get on your face before God, is something way more valuable than what cash can bring, way more desirable than what gold can offer. What is waiting for you is wisdom from heaven.

What is waiting for you is a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. What is waiting for you is the ability to drain out the power of the flesh. What is waiting for you is a face to face intimate conversation with the God who purchased your soul. That's what's waiting for you. But a thousand dollars sounds better, doesn't it?

Prayerlessness is stage two. And if you remain long enough in that place because that is the great protection as Jesus mentioned to Peter, watch and pray lest you fall into temptation. That is the great shield. That is the anchor to the soul. If you find yourself in stage two this morning, I beg of you, don't wait any longer because this is a great turning point in the process of backsliding.

Stage two. And don't test this phase too long because within a few moments, you will find yourself being pulled by the tide of temptation like you never thought you can be pulled, which comes and brings us to the third stage of backsliding. The flesh has come to life. Being controlled by the flesh. Come with me here in verse 50.

Jesus said to him, friend, do what you came to do. Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, put your sword back into its place for all who take the sword will be perished by the sword. The third stage of backsliding is that now you find your flesh taking over.

The gospel of John tells us that the person who struck this servant's ear was in fact Peter. And what we realize here is that Peter responded in a way in which Christ did not advocate. What happened to Peter? What happened to all the wonderful teachings that Christ gave to Peter for years now? What happened to all the things that Peter's eyes beheld concerning the miraculous?

What happened to the circle of intimacy that Peter had access to with James and John? What happened? What happened to the call that Peter received? Think of all the sermons that he heard. Think of the nearness of Christ in his life.

Think of the testimonies that Peter could proclaim in ways that would make other people envious of the access that he had to the son of God himself. But hear me very carefully. When you do not anchor yourself in the place of persistent prayer, all of those things can be so easily disregarded. Believe it. Believe it.

Believe it. They can be dismissed like that. Testimonies help us and stir us to be persistent. Reflecting on the past does, but none of that comes close to being anchored in the place of prayer. And when you fail to stay in communion with the one in which you've had those experiences with, you can so easily forget.

And a fog comes over your discernment and a strengthening comes to that old man, and you find yourself acting in a way that you haven't acted in a long time. Because prayer enables us to receive from Christ what is necessary to be be like Christ. And Peter failed to pray. And the absence of prayer, hear me very carefully just in case you think that, really it doesn't keep you. The absence of prayer will most definitely give your flesh the upper hand.

It will. And what will happen to you in that extended time of prayer, for every person it's different? For some, all it takes is two days. For some, it could be longer. But remember this brothers and sisters, all it takes is a day.

And when that prayerlessness is persistent, know this, prayerlessness will lead to lukewarmness. And what you will find is your flesh, your inner man awakening within you to the point where it will grab you by the neck like a master to a slave and will lead you to places and you and things that you thought you died to. That's what will happen to the flesh. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Those who remain on their knees are those who are less likely to fall because you're already on the ground.

Those who remain on their face, how much lower can you go when you're on your face, are those who are less likely to fall. The moment you get up from that posture is a moment you stand strong in your own self and you make yourself available for a greater fall. So what happens at this stage? What happens at stage three? Well, like Peter, you lose control of yourself.

Notice how composed Christ is in this whole scenario. Notice how he understands that he can call upon God the father and a legion of angels who come to his defense. Notice that the contrast of response. And here's Peter reacting with violence, reacting with panic, reacting in anxiety. Welcome to the world of prayerlessness in which you now lose your sense of joy in the Lord at this stage of backsliding.

The joy of the Lord is gone. That peace that surpasses all understanding is a memory. The things in which you used to trust God for, you you lose that sense of confidence and now you begin to do things like Peter by your own strength, by your own will, by your own might. And all of that is just the natural consequence of a person who has stopped meeting with God. And here's Peter now, so easily able to attack other people.

So easily willing to pull up that sword. What happened to Peter? His attitude changed. What happened to Peter? His ability to react to situations has changed.

What a contrast to Peter and David. The other day, I was reading about David how when Saul came into the cave and they were there hiding and Saul was relieving himself, his friend says, you can take him out. The Lord has brought you into his hand. Do it. Here's David, stealthily coming up to Saul and what does he do?

He cuts off a corner of his robe. You know what it says right after that? That after he had cut that piece of robe, his heart struck him. And he says, what am I doing? This is the Lord's anointed.

I'm trusting in myself. I'm not letting God handle this situation. You know, you can get to a place where you are so sensitive to God that you can do even little things and your heart strikes you. It can you can come to a place where you do the little things and you feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Now here's Peter, prayerless, and he takes that sword.

He's willing to kill a man. Some people said that he wasn't aiming for his ear. You think that he was aiming for his head. And this is what happens. The flesh gets strong and temptation, not that when you're in prayer, temptation doesn't come, but now it has this firmer grip on you.

And when it pulls, you're easily succumb to it. You're easily dragged into it because the spirit man does not have the upper hand anymore. So your attitude changes. And like Jesus who noticed and rebuked him, people at this stage will now begin to see a difference in you. See, you can't hide it when you're in the process of backsliding.

You think you can hide it, but you can't. And those that love you the most, out of genuine care, will think to themselves, something's happening to this person. They're not the same. They're not talking the same. The joy of the Lord is gone.

They're in the flesh. They're starting to post things on social media. And it may just makes you question and you're wondering. And perhaps if you've ever come to this phase in your life, you've had even people come up to you and say, is everything okay? And we're not talking about a person that's going through a bad day or a person that's experiencing spiritual warfare.

We're talking about a person who's extendedly been in a season in which they are in the flesh, and people can notice it. And if you think that this is the final stage, we're only halfway through. Because when you have that self confidence and when you begin to neglect the spiritual disciplines that protect you, the flesh is the automatic flourishing of that. You are sowing into the flesh without even knowing it. And when you begin to sow in the flesh over time, and you find yourself in the stage, and you do not watch yourself, and you fail to take the rebuke of others, you will find yourself going to stage four.

And many people have found themselves here, and many people are here around this nation. And it's found here in verse 57. Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered, and Peter was following him at a distance. Stage four of backsliding is now because the flesh has taken over, you begin to follow Christ at a distance. Total connectivity to the Lord is not completely lost.

But your devotion to the Lord, your love for Christ, your fellowship with Christ is literally hanging on a hairline thread between your heart and his. There is just that one thread that's keeping you in that place of staying connected to the Lord. And many people do not turn back at this phase even. You know why? Because they have convinced themselves as long as there is some sense of following, as long as there is some sense of connection, as long as I have not completely walked away, I'm good.

I'm good. I'm alright here. But in reality, you are now in a place at an alarming state in which you have lost almost all interest in the things concerning Christ and anything related to him. When a person finds themselves in stage four, when they let their flesh consume them and they are now following Christ at a distance, they are not in a place in which they know the warmness of his nearness anymore. They're not in a place in which his voice is so clear to them.

They're in a place in which, like Peter, a rapidly growing emptiness and chasm is being caused, not by Christ. He'll never leave you nor forsake you. We're the one that leave and forsake him. He will never leave you nor forsake you, but we're the ones like stubborn sheep that walk away. And so instead of that good shepherd who leads you to green pastures and makes you lie down on them and leads you by still waters, all of that is just a memory.

So what happens? Disconnection with anything to do with Christ, the house of God. The house of God. There was a point where you would be so upset if you missed church. There was a there was a time in which you would fight your family to get to church, but now you don't mind missing at all.

In fact, your attendance is sporadic. Not because of busyness, not because you're in a season of no. Because you've lost all interest. And if you do come to the meeting, you make sure that you do not come under the preaching of the word of God. You might find yourself in a different room just messing around.

And then once the meeting is over and once the preaching of the word of God is over, your face appears for the time of fellowship just to make sure that people know that you're you're still connected, but you're hanging by a thread. There are two reasons for that. There are two reasons why people who are in this stage avoid the meetings where God's word is preached. Number one, because they don't wanna face the conviction. Or number two, they've lost all sensitivity and desire to know the will of God in their lives.

Oh, that's a scary place to be when you hear preaching and your heart is not even moved anymore. Ah, would you look at yourself and realize that you've reached stage four? Even though you do not feel conviction anymore, even though you do not feel stirred anymore, would that alone stir you and cause you in a holy way to panic and to flee to Christ? Or are you still deceived by that hairline thread that you're connected by? I'm alright.

Not just the house of God, but the word of God. You don't remember the last time you really opened your Bible and read it to know God. You don't even know where your Bible is probably. And maybe from time to time, you'll touch on the verse of the day so you can ease your conscience. But in reality, even your Bible has forgotten the feeling of your hands on it.

Even your Bible has forgotten the feeling of that marker highlighting the glorious truths that used to stir your heart. And instead, you have substituted that time in which you gave to the word of God with other things that are so trivial. Not just the word of God, but the people of God. You're at a place now where you used to open and pray, used to hold hands and worship with the people of God. But now because you've reached stage four, listen to this, cancer to the soul.

You have lost all desire to even be with the people of God because you find it within yourself that you cannot relate to them at all. And you try to mix it up with all this different try to the justification of why. But the real reason why you have lost the ability to connect, you have lost the desire to meet with your brothers and sisters is because they have set their hearts to seek the things of God and you have not. It's as simple as that. They're pursuing the Lord.

And because you're not at that place, they are at a nearness of Christ and you're at a way different distance. That's why there's no sense of connectivity. That's why there's no desire to meet with them because they're walking on a certain path and you are feeling a drift that's pulling you in a different direction. And so you don't keep in touch with your brothers and sisters like you used to. And hear me very carefully.

Hear me very carefully. While your heart is numb at stage four, to the things of God, to the word of God, to the house of God, to the people of God, it's unmoved, it's unstirred, It is almost frozen. While your heart is numb, Satan's heart is pounding with so much excitement. When he realized that you have got to this place where you are hanging by a thread, while your heart is numb and Christ's heart is broken, Satan's heart is pumping with thrill. I got him where I want him.

I got her where I want her because this little sheep has strayed away from the good shepherd. Do you think Peter wrote first Peter five eight only because he received revelation? Yes. Yes. Please hear me.

It is by revelation and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but I believe it's also by experience. When he said be sober minded, be watchful, your adversary prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He's writing that from experience. And disagree with me if you would like, but I believe that when Peter came to this place, Satan was drooling And thinking to myself to himself, all it takes is a little bit more time. He's moved away from the shepherd.

You know what David said when he came to Saul and says, I can take care of Goliath? He said, listen, Saul. I found myself in the fields that whenever a lion or a bear would come and take my sheep, I took care of them. And whenever a lion even had a sheep in its mouth, I took him by the beard and I struck him. See, that's the safety you have when you stay near to the shepherd.

But when you move away from the shepherd, that lion has all the access to you. And that shepherd can't grab him by the beard and punch him in the face like he deserves. Keep moving away. Keep convincing yourself that that distance is fine. Because something happens and it leads to stage five.

In the gospel of John, we get more detailed picture of what happens. But go to verse 69. Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and a servant girl came up to him and said, you also were with Jesus the Galilean. But he denied it before them. All saying, I do not know what you mean.

In the gospel of John, I'm gonna read this. It gives us a more detailed illustration here. John eighteen seventeen and eighteen. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, you also are not one of this man's disciples, are you? He said, I am not.

Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire because it was cold and they were all standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them standing and warming himself. When you have come to the place of stage four and you stay in stage 4 long enough, now that stage is different for different people concerning timing. It could take a week for some. It could take months for others.

But if you linger long enough, know this. Know this. Because you've opened up that room between you and the savior, the enemy has so much to work with. That is the stage in which he begins to strategize. That is the phase begin he begins to now implement his tactics to make sure that even that hairline thread is cut.

And you find yourself in stage five. What's stage five? Comfort in worldliness. Comfort in worldliness. Because of the coldness of the fellowship between you and the Lord, because of the coldness of the fellowship between you and his people, because your hands have not felt the warmth of the pages of your bible, denying Christ is now no problem for you.

Oh, wait. What? Are you telling me that I would deny Christ? Maybe you wouldn't deny him verbally, but you probably can't deny him like how Titus one describes it. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works.

Denying Christ is not just denying with your lips, it's denying with your life to some degree. And when you find yourself in stage five, maybe verbally you do not say, I don't know Christ. Maybe you can. It's unbelievable what the flesh can bring you to. But more than anything, it's a denying of Christ with your life.

So what happens at this place? At this stage, all connection has been severed between you and the Lord on your part. The fellowship has ceased. And now you are comfortable and now you are warming yourself with the very enemies of Christ. All this happens.

The very ones that blaspheme him, the very ones that hate him. And you might be saying if you've ever been in this stage, listen, the they don't hate God. Have they surrendered to him? Have they surrendered to him? That unless they have surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ, the bible describes them as enemies of Christ.

Does Christ love them? Yes. Can they be saved? Absolutely. But until they put their faith and trust in Jesus, they are hostile against God.

I don't care if they say please and thank you. And you find no problem fellowshipping with these kind of people. You have no problem conversing with these people. You have no problem what happened what happened to Psalm sixteen three? You know what David said in Psalm sixteen three?

He says, as for the saints of the land, they are the excellent ones. In whom is all my delight? The psalmist says, the people of God are all my delight. Those who have set their hearts to delight in God, those people are my delight. I enjoy them.

I love their presence. I long to be with them. But that's not true at this point. Now you're kind of annoyed of them. You're bored of them.

Why? Because the flesh is full blown. And you, because we're all created for fellowship, we're all created to be with other people, are now magnetized towards a crowd that denies the person you once claimed to love with everything. And you're warming yourself by the fire with a different crowd. And it doesn't really phase you.

And this is how the enemy works when you've gone to stage four to stage five. When that distance is there, you better expect phone calls from old friends. When you're in stage four, do not be surprised of these types of people coming out of the woodworks and inviting you over to that party and inviting you over to a place where you should not go. And slowly but surely, this is kind of warm. I kind of like this.

I'm comfortable in this place. And you think to yourself, I'm fine. And I hope this part comes into connection with last week's message that the enemy uses people and he uses friends, so called friends. And you think to yourself, here's the scary part. Again, when you do not realize, oh, look how far I've come.

When you've convinced yourself that you still bear the name of Christ though you've lost all connection with everything to do with Christ, you still think to some degree that you have control. And so because of the things that you've known your whole life and the and the seeds that have been planted in you, there is some sense in which you say, I'll never go too far. I'll never go too far. I'll never allow them to take me too far. But remember Samson.

Remember Samson and Delilah. Samson himself who was clothed with power, who's been given a specific task in life, a specific calling. When he was with Delilah just long enough, it was not initial. All Samson needed is the same thing all men need when they find themselves on this stage. All you need, my friend, is a little bit of time and just a little bit more pressure.

What's the secret to your strength, Samson? And he's joking around. And after a few times, finally, because he's been so vexed and so pressed by her, he opens up his heart. And that same Delilah that he thought was the love of his life, the same Delilah that he thought he can open up to and be so comfortable with was the same Delilah that sold him for silver. You think those buddies are buddies.

They'll sell you for 10¢. You're just a puppet to keep them entertained. And you think stage five is the last stage, it's not. It's stage six. Habitual unthinkable decisions.

Habitual, unthinkable decisions. Verse 73 of Matthew 26. After a little while, the bystanders came up and said to Peter, certainly you too are one of them for your accent betrays you. Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear. Here's Peter cussing.

The same lips that says you are the Son of God are now the same lips that are cussing and swearing. I do not know the man. And immediately the rooster crowed. Stop. Notice verse 73.

After a little while. See, Peter denied Christ once, but it just took a little bit more time for him to deny him again and to deny him for a third time. Once is once, but now here's three times. And what was one of the reasons? You're hanging out in stage five way too long.

And when you hang out in stage five way too long, you come to stage six. You find yourself habitually living and making decisions that will make you look in the mirror and say, what am I doing? How did I get to this place? And because the flesh is so strong, even though you know to some degree that it's wrong, you can't help but stay in it. You can't help but you can't shake it off so easily.

And though it is possible to turn to the Lord at stage six, it's possible at any stage, it is so difficult. It is so painful. And part of that too is your pride to even admit that you've come so far. But let me make a comment about stage six. See, for Peter, it was just a few moments before he came to the Lord and Peter did come back to the Lord.

But when people come to stage six, listen to me. It's so deceptive. It's so clinching that it can be for you some weeks, for others some months, and even others for years. Know this, and this is why this message is being declared today. Because this is not a joke.

And you can see even the repercussions and the consequences of full blown backsliddenness in the lives of those who are now following Christ and made that turn around. Let me give you an example. There are people. There are people who have walked with God with fiery zeal. And because they have not understood the stages of backsliddenness, they found themselves in stage six for years living in the world.

They stopped going to church. They stopped reading the word. They they still call themselves Christian, but they are living with worldly people, doing worldly things, and just going on with their life. And guess what? When you stay in that place long enough, you make decisions that even if God by his grace is willing and if you come to your senses, repent, you could live with the consequences of what you've made in stage six for the rest of your life.

Do you know there are people that have backslidden? I'm talking about people who walk with the Lord then backslide. And in that stage have married an unbeliever. And then during their marriage, they come back to the Lord, and now they are stuck with a person who does not love Christ. And I can give you scenario after scenario after scenario of people who have come to a place where they let themselves slip here and made life important decisions only to come back to the Lord and live with those decisions.

And so if that does not convince you, there is one certain thing. Though every person has a different capability of going a certain direction when they find themselves at this final point. There is one thing for certain that is true for every person that has come to the bottom and that is wasted time to know Christ and to serve him. Package it how you like. Put whatever consequence with it as you would.

The one thing, the underlining foundational truth is that there is wasted time to serve Christ, wasted time to know the Lord Jesus. And oh, there are people who have after years of backsliddenness have finally finally come to their senses. Turned to the Lord and here they are. Though Christ accepts them and though they are yes back in fellowship with him, they still carry they still carry a grief in their hearts. Why?

Because they think about all those years that have been squandered. All those years that have been thrown away. This missionary had a person who did just that. A person that she saw won to Christ and this person went back into his filthy drug infested gang infested lifestyle only to be arrested and only in jail to find himself come back to Christ. Leaves jail, finds this missionary that led him to the Lord, tells the whole story of how he is backsliding, her wondering where she has been for all these years, only for him to be so broken and so weary as he's sharing this.

And her wondering, what's wrong with you? And he's weeping while he's sharing that Christ brought him back and saying, what listen, you're washed by the blood. He forgives you. You're in his arms again. He's saying, you don't understand.

I understand all of that and I praise God for it, but all those years that I've wasted. All those years that have been thrown away. Stage six, is it possible to turn back to Lord from this place? Have you ever wondered why God put this story of Peter in the bible? Has it ever occurred to you why God the Holy Spirit would record the failures of a preacher who had made such great boast of devotion?

Tells us one thing, if it was possible for him, it's possible for you and me. But it doesn't leave us there. It tells us that there's still redemption available. This is why God, the holy spirit yes, to to show us what can happen, but also that if you've allowed it to happen, how you can escape. If you've opened that door through self confidence and you've taken that first step of neglect of spiritual discipline, then you've taken that second step of letting the flesh take over, then you've taken that third step of following Christ at a distance, then you've taken that fifth step of being comfortable around the fires of the world, and finally you come to the bottom where it's so dark you cannot see even the wall in front of you of doing unthinkable things, you can still turn around and not climb back up, but see the ever strong-arm of the Lord pick you up from the bottom and take you right back to where you started.

Where was Jesus in all of this? Where's the Lord? Because all we see is Peter drifting further and further away from him. Well, you have to turn to Luke 22 to see where Jesus is in the midst of all of this. Because we think that Peter has gone so far, has he not?

We think that Peter is in a whole different world unaware of the master. But Luke 22 verse 60. But Peter said, man, I do not know what you were talking about. And immediately while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. Verse 61.

And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And so while Peter was in stage six of backsliddenness, when he did the very thing that Jesus would predicted, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. What do you think Peter saw in those eyes? Whatever he saw caused him to weep bitterly. Did he see eyes that said I told you so?

Did he see eyes that say I am so ashamed of you? After all that you've seen, you denied me? What was it that he saw in those gracious compassionate eyes? Whatever he saw, it was enough to melt his calloused heart. And I could tell you for certain that whatever he saw in those precious eyes, in those holy blazing love eyes, It brought him to a place where he acknowledged where he was.

So if you ever found yourself in state maybe you're in stage six. This is a bit this sermon, this measure, this gauge is not for you and me to look at others and say that person's in stage two and that person's in stage four. It's not it's for you. It's not for your neighbor. This is for you.

It's not to analyze who your your buddy is with right now. No. No. It's it's to analyze your own heart and my own heart. Even in stage six, when you feel like you've drifted so far from Christ, he sees you.

And he looks at you with eyes of forgiveness and compassion. If only you would turn. How do I know that? Because later on in John chapter 21, Peter, which is another scary thing about backsliddenness, who had a leadership type personality, says, I'm going fishing. And when he went fishing, he dragged his buddies with him.

See, when you think you backslide, it's all on your own. If you have a certain type of influence, you can bring others with you. You don't believe me. The same Peter, even after the filling of the Holy Spirit, even after preaching a sermon that, wow, save 3,000, was so scared of associating with gentiles that he was hypocritical. And what does it say there in Galatians?

That he led Barnabas astray. This man had influence. This man had a personality that people wanted to be around him. That if he said it, he had a stronger word than if anybody else said it. And see, that can be used for good and that can be used for wrong.

And here we see that. He said, I'm going back fishing. I'm doing what I used to do before I met Christ. And all his buddies says, well, if Peter's doing it, let's go with him. That can happen in the church.

But it says Jesus was standing at the shore the next day. And he says, children, you caught anything? No. We know this. Do we not?

And he begins to speak like when he first called Peter and it clicks. Peter comes back and they have a face to face reconcile where? By a charcoal fire. And Peter's faced with his sin because when you reconcile to Christ, it's not that he sweeps your sin underneath the rug. No.

He wants to talk about it and acknowledge it in love. And as Peter's there, Jesus asks those three questions. Do you love me? I love you. I love you.

I love you. Did it stop there? Because many people stop there. No. Jesus says, follow me.

It's no good telling Jesus you love him with your lips if you will not follow him. I love you. I love you. I love you. That's great.

He said, follow me again. I'm taking you back. Let's walk this walk again together. I want you to know today, no matter where you go in life, identify those stages in your life. Be humble enough.

Listen, you might be sitting here throughout this whole message and saying to yourself, that was wonderful. I love those six steps. Oh, that's so great. Thank God I'm okay. Listen, you're you're at phase one.

But it's it's for us to realize. Lord, keep me. And if I find myself slipping at the stage one, stage two, stage two, whatever stage it is, know this, that there are eyes of love that are beholding you and are waiting for you to turn. Not just for you to say, I love the Lord. You know, backslidden people talk like that.

I love God. Oh, God is everything to me. You're with the wrong people. You don't read his word. You don't like his people.

You don't like church. How can you? Jesus says, you love me? You love me? You follow me.

Follow me. And the fact that he would give thus the opportunity to follow him again is astounding. If there's one thing that you can take from the old backsliddenness of the people of Israel and how God is so compassionate to continually bring them back every time they repent. It even comes to the place in which the bible describes a man named Ahab. And Ahab was so wicked.

It goes on to give a commentary that he is one of the most wicked kings. And after he has his wife kill a man for a vineyard and sends Elijah to call him out and to say, you're gonna be destroyed. The rest of your people are gonna be destroyed and your descendants. Ahab humbles himself. And guess who responds?

Not Elijah. God speaks to Elijah and says, have you seen how he humbled himself? The compassion and the mercy of Jesus is beyond what we can conjure up. But he waits for that person. He waits for you that any phase of your back slimness to just humble yourself and acknowledge it.

Listen, if you're at any stage and you're scared to admit it, know this, that if you've reached stage three, everybody already knows it. It's so obvious. You don't have to hide anything. How are you doing? Oh, I'm good, man.

I'm good. Really. We're not dumb. But if you just see, God can't work with anything except humility. When you just humble yourself, he's willing to take you back in a moment.

Is this message supposed to produce fear in you and me? No. It's supposed to produce awareness. Because you know it's possible and we believe this, do we not, that we can live a life of victory in Christ? Let's go against popular belief here that you don't have to backslide, not even once in your Christian experience.

I might get in trouble for that one. But I'm sorry that I believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. And I apologize that I believe that the blood can keep me. Not really sorry. The Bible says in Jude 24, now to him, what?

Who is able to keep you from falling. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Who is able to keep you from falling. Don't go to Jude 24 without going to Jude 21. Keep yourselves in the love of God.

He's able to get listen. Do you wanna be kept? He'll keep you. He'll keep you if you wanna be kept. For what?

Ten years? Fifteen years? For the rest of your life. It's not him who moves, it's us. Now all starts with that self confidence thinking, I'm good.

I can allow little foxes into my vineyard and not let it affect me because I know the truth and I attend church and I hear bible study. That's not the attitude. The attitude is, Lord, I cling to you. Your word humbles me every time I read it. Lord, I don't wanna be another statistic in this generation.

Are you at any stage this morning? There's no judgment in this house. There's no condemnation in this place because there's no condemnation in Christ. Know this, that there are eyes that are beholding you. And even if you come to a place like Peter, those eyes are still looking on you with compassion and mercy.

All it takes for you today is to just humble yourself and say, I'm at stage two. God, bring me back. I'm at stage four. I'm following at a distance, and I've convinced myself that it's okay. God help me.

And know this, that when you do that, he will not turn you away. And if you're not in that place and you're walking with Christ, praise be to God, it's okay to have confidence that you are walking. This is not to put unnecessary condemnation on you. But know this, that when you walk further on and you feel that drift, remember these stages. It's not like you come from light to darkness in one step.

Oh, no. No. No. There are steps. And that will help you realize it and analyze and identify only for you to turn back up to him.

You were once children of darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Don't be partners with them. Let's pray. Just between you and the lord in this place, maybe your prayer is, lord, keep me from falling, Or maybe you know what stage you're at. The only thing that will bring you to the next phase is your pride.

Or maybe you know somebody that's in those faces and this is not a message for you to be able to rub it in their face, it's for you to pray for them. And say, Lord, open their eyes. Lord, don't let them go deeper. Don't let them go further. I'm praying, God.

I'm praying that you would rescue them. Before we close, just look at those eyes that are willing to receive you. Look at those eyes that are willing to accept you. Look at those eyes that don't condemn you even at the final stage. Turn back to him.

You might be wondering, how do I turn back even if I've reached this final point as to what you do? What did Peter do? He talked to Jesus. He spoke to the Lord. You probably know all you probably heard it all.

Get back to prayer. Get back to listen. Just just make it simple and directly go to him. Just go back to him and speak to him and let him let him heal you. Let him empower you.

Let him change you. But listen, you can't talk to him if you're staying hanging around that fire with those people. You can't. Notice that Peter was with his decide the the disciples in John 21. Would you stand with me?

My deep prayer and desire is that for all of us, we would receive what the Holy Spirit has given us in Matthew 26 as a tool in the arsenal for our walk with the Lord, that we would not be proud enough to to pull that out and to look at it and say, am I a stage one? Have I become independent? I don't know about you, but I'm so grateful that the lord and his wisdom has given us a story like this To show us, again, how dependent we must be on him, but also even in our weakness when we've let ourselves go that there's still hope. There's always hope in Christ. Pray with me.

Pray with me sincerely for yourself, and then we're gonna pray for those that we know. But just pray with me concerning yourself and your relationship with the Lord. Father, we come not to make great boasts about our devotion, but we boast in your mercy. And, lord, we thank you that you have kept us, and we thank you that you are able to keep us, not just for a few years, but, lord, for the rest of our days. We thank you that victory in Christ, not a life that's free from trials or tribulations, not even a life that's free from days in which we feel unmotivated, but a life that's free from completely turning our back on you and drifting astray.

Lord, thank you that you have the power to keep us. And, And, Lord, we we see the words and we don't respond by saying that that's not me. No. That will never happen to me. No.

We say, Lord, keep me from falling. Lord, I I I entrust my heart to you because I know that it is so wicked and deceitful. And so, Lord, we just pray that in light of Ephesians and in light of Peter's story that you would, again, make us so sensitive to you. We hold on to these words for life, and we choose to abide in the love of God. Lord, we pray for those that we know.

Whether they're here or whether they're not here, wherever they are, we just pray that by your spirit, those that we love, maybe family members, maybe best friends that are not walking with you anymore, and names are even coming to our mind even now, we pray, oh god, that by your mercy, they would they would just turn and see your glance at them and they would realize that your eyes of compassion are upon them. And that they would, in response, realize how far they have come. Not to run away from you, only to run to you, to fall at your feet. Lord, please do it before they make decisions that they will regret. Lord, please do it before they will harm themselves or others in this phase.

And so, god, we just we pray for them. Though they're not in the house of God, we pray for them in this house of prayer that you would have your way in their hearts even now wherever they may be. We pray these things thanking you for your word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

I want us to worship the Lord in light of the fact that he is able to keep us from falling. I want you to worship the Lord not not with this fear of see listen, when it comes to your walk with the Lord, please take it day by day. Stop thinking ten years from now. Stop thinking five months from now. Walk with him day by day and trust him day by day and enjoy him day by day.

And he's able to keep you. He wants to keep you. Let's worship him.