Tag: falling away
Fame, fortune and falling away!
Scripture reading for April 4: 1st Kings 9-11
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.” Proverbs 27:21
Fame and fortune bring lots of praise from the lips of men. Everyone wants to be around a famous person and the rich have many friends. These blessings can easily lead our hearts away from faith in the Lord and a vital relationship with Him. God warned the Israelites that when they entered the promised land and settled down and became prosperous, they would be tempted to forget God. (Deuteronomy 8:10-13) Solomon found prosperity and fame to be a more difficult test than sexual lust.
After Solomon finished dedicating the temple and achieving all he had desired to do, God appeared to him a second time. God promised that He would hear the prayers said at the temple and watch over it. God then warned Solomon against turning away from Him and going after other gods. (1st Kings 9:6-9)
But Solomon took 700 wives and 300 concubines from among the nations that the Lord forbid the Israelites to marry from. God had warned that their hearts would be led astray to idolatry and His Word is always to be trusted. (1st Kings 11:1-6) Solomon’s heart was not fully committed to the Lord and he did evil in God’s sight! He built high places for these gods of his foreign wives and they offered sacrifices, further angering God. God raised up adversaries against Israel, Hadad the Edomite and Rezon from Aram (Syria) were both hostile towards Israel. One of Solomon’s own officials, Jeroboam, son of Nebat, also rebelled against the king. Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to Egypt.
We all think that it would be wonderful to have what Solomon or some other famous figure has, but we must be reminded of how our hearts are tested by this. The pride and power of prosperity can make one as drunk as wine! God is jealous and will not tolerate idolatry. Although Solomon had God appear to him twice and plainly bless him and warn him, Solomon made choices that took him away from the blessings and his walk with God.
Do you know someone who has fame or fortune, who is in a position of authority and influence? What are some principles of walking with God that you would apply to stay close to the Lord?
Jesus: Anchor for Our Soul!
Scripture reading for October 21st: Hebrews 6
The writer of Hebrews wrote to warn the believers of the danger of apostasy. There was pressure from persecution and the suffering of trials that tempted them to leave Jesus Christ and return to their old way of Judaism. Although we are secure in Christ and His promises, we must maintain our steadfast faith through the trials.
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.” (Hebrews 6:4-6) These are difficult words of warning! Believers are being warned that falling away from faith in Christ and life in the power of the Holy Spirit will result in an impossible situation and reproach for the cause of Christ. Renewal to repentance will not be available! This is something to avoid at all costs!
“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” . . . “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:12, 17-20) Don’t ‘fall away’ but ‘anchor away’–into Jesus Christ!
The Anchor of Hope!
Scripture reading for November 4th: Hebrews 6:1-20
The writer of Hebrews says some very difficult things to these Hebrew believers who are struggling with faith and some desiring to return to Judaism. He encouraged them to move forward in their faith and understanding of Christ. They needed to grow to maturity and not become stunted in their growth.
“It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.” (Hebrews 6:4-6) These words are very difficult to hear. This gives a very stern warning to those who had made a commitment to Christ and been saved and experienced the gift of the Holy Spirit. This statement speaks of falling away from the truths of Salvation as a very dangerous thing to do. When someone who is enlightened and aware of truth chooses to turn away from that truth, darkness overtakes their souls and it becomes impossible for them to be brought back! What they are doing in turning away is likened to crucifying Jesus again by our actions of rejection. Doing this after making a commitment is dangerous and fatal to faith.
But hope for these Christians is sure. They must hold tightly to the Gospel. “We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make you hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” (Hebrews 6:11-12) Drift is always away from God but faith and patience applied to every-day living will bring results. Laziness is a spiritual sin to be avoided!
The hope of eternal life has been promised by God on an oath. God is a truth-teller. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek!” (Hebrews 6:19-20) Jesus Christ is our anchor of hope and He will keep us as we trust Him.