Advertise on podcast: Backsliding on SermonAudio

Main Point God turns death and destruction into life and beauty when we repent and return to Him. This sermon concludes a study of the book of Hosea by examining the final chapter, which presents a vivid contrast between judgment and restoration. The central message emphasizes that God turns death and destruction into life and beauty when His people repent and return to Him with sincere words of confession. The text highlights the necessity of abandoning reliance on political powers or idols, acknowledging that only God provides true salvation and fruitfulness. Through poetic imagery of dew, lilies, and olive trees, the passage illustrates the spiritual refreshment and strength that accompany genuine repentance. The sermon concludes with a call to action, urging believers to confess specific sins and trust in God's promise to heal backsliding and love freely, ultimately pointing to the sufficiency of Christ for salvation.

Isaiah 57:14-21 calls a backslidden people to prepare the way back to God by removing every obstruction. In Isaiah's day the obstruction was idolatry. The human heart still makes idols of family, career, and settled church habits, and sin stands in the way above all. Christ, who is himself the way, removes that obstacle. The Holy One who inhabits eternity dwells with the contrite and lowly, a spirit the Holy Spirit creates in the new birth, as Psalm 51 and James 4 also teach. God sees the backslider's ways and promises to heal, lead, and restore him, speaking peace to the far and the near, Gentiles and Jews alike (Ephesians 2:17-18). The wicked, like the tossing sea, find no rest. Christ calms the guilty conscience and gives rest to the weary.

Hosea 14:7 "They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon." This sermon explores the biblical imagery of revival found in Hosea 14, using the metaphor of corn reviving after a shower to illustrate God's sovereign work in restoring His people. The message emphasises that true revival is not a human effort but a divine act where God reveals Himself in holiness and power, causing the church to stand upright in grace. It identifies the necessary conditions for this blessing: dwelling under God's shadow through intimate prayer and seeking His face, coupled with a genuine, complete return from sin rather than a fleeting desire for change. The preacher highlights the historical context of revivals, such as the 1859 awakening in Ulster, to show that periods of moral decline often precede divine intervention. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a sweet savour of Christ to permeate the community, urging believers to rely on God's promise to heal backsliding and spread the gospel with irresistible power.

This discussion explores John Owen's classic commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews—written during the political and personal turmoil of the 17th-century English Restoration—and uncovers how its severe warning passages serve as a vital blueprint for spiritual endurance rather than a cause for despair. By examining the anatomy of spiritual backsliding through the lens of Psalm 95 and Esau's tragic profaneness, and by incorporating the complementary insights of Arthur W. Pink and John Brown of Edinburgh, the dialogue resolves the apparent tension between God's terrifying warnings and the doctrine of perseverance. Ultimately, it reveals that the Holy Spirit uses solemn gospel warnings not to reject the brokenhearted, but as the very instrument to awaken, guard, and preserve true believers in lifelong faith.

This sermon uses the prophetic warning in Jeremiah 8:20 to address the spiritual condition of modern America and the church, drawing parallels between the ancient Israelites' idolatry and contemporary distractions. The message highlights the consequences of turning away from God, such as the loss of divine protection and the onset of national judgment, while emphasizing the urgency of repentance before the 'summer' of opportunity ends. The tone shifts from convicting to comforting as the preacher presents Jesus Christ as the 'balm in Gilead,' offering healing and forgiveness to those who are lost or backslidden. The central intent is to urge the congregation to examine their hearts, return to a close walk with the Lord, and share the joy of salvation with others before it is too late.

Sunday Morning Service

The sermon emphasizes the urgent need for believers to give earnest heed to the gospel message to prevent spiritual backsliding or apostasy. It argues that the book of Hebrews serves as a warning to Jewish Christians who were tempted to return to the Old Covenant, highlighting that Christ's divinity and superior status over angels make His message the ultimate authority. The speaker distinguishes between true believers who cannot lose their salvation and those who have merely tasted God's grace without fully trusting in Christ's finished work. By illustrating the gravity of the gospel with personal anecdotes, the message encourages the congregation to meditate on recent sermons and secure their assurance of salvation. The tone is pastoral and convicting, urging the audience to maintain their spiritual grip and seek higher ground in their faith rather than letting spiritual insights slip away.

The sermon emphasizes the reality of God and the necessity of steady spiritual growth rather than temporary spikes in devotion. Drawing from Proverbs 14, the message warns against the danger of backsliding, defined as relinquishing spiritual ground already won, and challenges listeners to examine their personal paths in light of Scripture. It refutes the notion that multiple religious paths lead to salvation, asserting that Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to heaven. The tone is urgent and pastoral, urging believers to press toward maturity and inviting sinners to come to Christ as they are, relying on His simple and clear instructions for salvation.

Hosea 4:1-2 (KJV) Hear the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. 2 By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Hosea 4:16 (KJV) For Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer: now the LORD will feed them as a lamb in a large place.

~~~~~~~ No 31 in the series - The Epistles of Peter. ~~~~~~~ **Considering 2 Peter 2:20-22** For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. *1/ The danger of backsliding. 2/ Ways and steps to backsliding to old sins. 3/ Hope for a backslider.* **Sermon Summary:** The sermon addresses the spiritual danger of backsliding, defined as a return to former sinful ways or doctrinal errors after initial conversion. It distinguishes between the irreversible fall of false professors and the recoverable condition of true believers who may drift from their first love. The message identifies specific indicators of spiritual decline, such as neglecting private devotion, isolation from the church, pride, and susceptibility to novel teachings. It concludes with a pastoral assurance of hope, emphasizing that God is merciful and willing to restore those who genuinely repent and return to Him, citing examples like Peter and Solomon to demonstrate the power of divine grace in healing backslidings.

Destructive Nature of Pornography will: displease the Lord who saved you; Grieve the Holy Spirit; Harm Christ's reputation; Make you a defeated backslider; Enslave you; Corrupt the conscience; Make you a hypocrite and a liar; Harm your marriage; Harm relationship with your children; Harm or destroy your ministry

ARTICLE 8 - It is not by the merits or strength of man, but by the free mercy of God that man does not totally fall away from God and perish. Man, left to himself would surely perish eternally, but God never deserts His chosen ones nor revokes His eternal purpose. Thus it is not in consequence of their own merits or strength, but of God's free mercy, that they neither totally fall from faith and grace nor continue and perish finally in their backslidings; which, with respect to themselves is not only possible, but would undoubtedly happen; but with respect to God, it is utterly impossible, since His counsel cannot be changed nor His promise fail; neither can the call according to His purpose be revoked, nor the merit, intercession, and preservation of Christ be rendered ineffectual, nor the sealing of the Holy Spirit be frustrated or obliterated.

The sermon explores the metaphor of Israel as a backsliding heifer who is transformed into a submissive, serving creature through God's grace. It identifies the root of spiritual decline as a lack of knowledge of God and a rejection of His truth, leading to moral corruption and stubbornness. The message emphasises that God restores backsliders by giving them a new nature, turning their hearts from stone to flesh so they can receive His word with hunger and sensitivity. This transformation results in obedience, where believers learn to serve under God's yoke and are supplied with spiritual nourishment along the way. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a life of surrendered service, promising that those who break up the fallow ground of their lives will experience the showers of blessing and revival.