Lest Anyone Fall Away	
#L508	The First-Century Gospel Church / Philadelphia	Sun AM 10-13-02

	Hebrews 3:12 (NIV), “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”  The NKJV says ‘lest anyone depart from the living God,’ and the Weymouth’s reads, ‘see to it that there is never an unbelieving heart that manifests itself in revolt from the ever-living God.’
	There are many warnings in the Bible about ‘falling away from the faith.’  The devil is dangerous and deceitful, so we have to aware, and to pray every day for spiritual wisdom so that we can remain faithful to Christ (and obedient to God’s Word).
	1 Peter 5:8 warns us to always be alert, because Satan is our enemy, and he is on the prowl like a jungle cat, “looking for someone to devour.”  It does matter how we live, and it does matter what choices we make, (concerning the circumstances that confronts us).  “Be very careful, then, how you live‑‑not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil,” (Eph 5:15-16).
	Indeed the ‘days are evil’ and the devil is more dangerous and relentless than ever in having people ‘fall away’ from the faith.  Satan’s object is to have people live careless lives (spiritually), but Jesus said (John 14:15), "If you love me, you will obey what I command.”

 	The word ‘careful’ is found in 77 Bible verses, and is to warn us that it does matter how we live, and it does matter how we decide, because our choices reveal where our faith is.
	If we are not careful to live by faith, Satan could deceive us and have us to ‘turn away’ from a scriptural position of trust in God.  (Hebrews 3:14), “We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.”  Other translations say, ‘hold steadfast unto the end (KJS),’ or (the NCV), “We all share in Christ if we keep till the end the sure faith we had in the beginning.”
	Hebrews 3:12 (KJS) saying, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God,” is referring to Israel’s unbelief in the wilderness.  It is a warning not to follow their example of unbelief in God’s promises.
	God says that He is our Protector, our Provider, our Healer, and Guide.  If we believe that, we will choose to live it.  Our choices will prove whether we have faith in God or not.  “No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power,” (Jeremiah 10:6).
	Unbelief is a serious sin.  To not believe God, is to offend Him, because it is like rejecting His offer.  And like any rejection, (that we may have experienced), it is not pleasant.  The Hebrews were informed about how God wanted them to live, and they were also warned not to ‘fall away’ from the faith.
	If we give our life to Christ half-way, then it reveals that we are lukewarm, and that we have unbelief in our heart.  Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it,” (Luke 9:23-24).
	It is an ‘all-or-nothing’ proposition (in giving our life to Christ).  It is to reject everything of this world, and accept everything that is of Christ.
	Jesus follows chapter 9 with these words in Luke 14 (14:26-27), "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters‑‑yes, even his own life‑‑he cannot be my disciple.  And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
	We must always be careful that we do not fall away from a position of faith and trust.  Our commitment to God’s Word and truth, is to be a right commitment.  Our choices should prove that we are ‘following Jesus.’
	  If our repentance is genuine, and our commitment is real, the Holy Spirit will control our choices so that we make scriptural ones that are approved by God and pleasing in His sight.
	If we once know God’s salvation plan, and later turn away, our eternal destiny can be jeopardized.  (Hebrews 6:4-6), “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.”
	When you have come to know the truth, (of what Christ has done on the Cross), then to deliberately choose to turn your back and walk away from it, there is nothing anyone can do for you (naturally-speaking).
	Once a person has heard the gospel, (and the forgiveness of Christ), and then to say ‘no’ to Him, they have ‘fallen away’ from the faith.  They have become an apostate, (or an unbeliever).  They have made the deliberate choice to rebel against God’s Word and to reject His salvation plan, so, (as the verse says), it is unlikely that they would reverse their decision.
	To turn away from ‘the faith,’ does not mean to turn away from any ‘specific group’ (of people, per se), because God’s Word (and truth) resides in the heart of the believer.  The true salvation plan God has for everyone (who will make the choice to accept it), is revealed in the Bible, so anyone can read it and make that all-important choice to live it.
	It seems that most churches (and religious organizations) compromise with the Scriptures somewhere.  They believe to a point, but then ‘fall away’ when facing important life issues, or persecution.
	Many professed believers accept the seed of God’s Word, and receive it with joy (Mark 4:16-17), but when they are faced with trusting God for finances, divine healing, guidance, and protection, they can (all too easily) ‘fall away’ from the faith.
	God’s Word has been given to the world in the form of translated Bibles, Internet Web sites, and other means that make the Scriptures available to everyone of every race, nation, and language.  
	Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:14 (WEY) are being fulfilled more each day, as new Bible translations and Internet Web sites are being added.  Jesus said, “This Good News of the Kingdom shall be proclaimed throughout the whole world to set the evidence before all the Gentiles; and then the End will come.”
	Anyone who has a desire to know God’s truth, can read about in the Bible, and they can make the choice to accept Christ as their Savior, Lord, and Redeemer.  That ‘Good News’ is available to the world, but we wonder how many (after reading God’s Word), make the choice to really accept Christ and to walk by faith.
	There is much false teaching today, so one has to be very careful who they listen to, or what doctrine they accept, ‘lest they be turned away from God’s Truth’.
	The world (in general) has not only turned away from faith in God, but they try to force other people to place their trust in human devices and plans.  For instance, laws are passed to force children to wear helmets while riding a bicycle. 
	Even in Jesus’ day, a person could have fallen from a camel (or a chariot), and been injured, but if God protected people then, He would protect us now, (because God never changes).
	If the Christian life is nothing more than saying, ‘I believe in Christ’ (without walking by faith in Him each day), then why did He warn us (many times) about Satan’s deceit?
	The contemporary Christian song says, ‘I’m going to turn my back on the deceiver and live what I believe,’ *[Amy Grant].  When one buys real estate, (or takes out a mortgage on a house), after Jesus said to sell our possessions, give to the poor, and to follow Him, then we begin to realize how much ‘surface faith’ there is, but not many truly ‘walking by faith.’
	When a person seeks medical help and takes drugs, even though they have read about the Atonement of Christ (in Isaiah 53:5), “by his wounds we are healed,” we wonder what a person means when they say, ‘I believe in Christ.’
	The Holy Spirit is the only One who can give a person the ability to obey God’s Word, and the only One who can place in their heart a real desire to live by faith in Christ.  
	When the Holy Spirit has spoken to our heart, to ‘return to Christ, and to accept His forgiveness,’ we must respond to that call, while our heart is ready to accept it.
	If we procrastinate, our heart can become hardened.  Hebrews 3:13 says to, “encourage one another, day after day, so long as To‑day lasts, so that not one of you may be hardened through the deceitful character of sin” (WEY).
	The choice we make to give our life to Christ, (a life that belongs to Him because He paid for it), is to be made when we hear the Gospel.  We should not put it off until some other time, because the decision to do that becomes harder as our heart become hard to God’s will.
	If we continue in unbelief, (and we continue to follow sinful ways), we depart from the narrow path of Eternal Life.  If we stay on that road, and do not repent, (like king Saul), or we choose to be a friend of the world like Demas), we can eventually forfeit our right to enter God’s kingdom.
	Anyone can have Eternal Life, if they will accept Christ into their heart, and walk by faith in Him.  (Vs 14), “For we have, all alike, become sharers with Christ, if we really hold our first confidence firm to the End.”
	To help others live by faith in Christ, is best done by our living that way first.  We can encourage a family member (or friend) by reminding them of God’s faithfulness and referring to appropriate Scripture.  “Encourage one another, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”  
	Satan is very dangerous, and he tries to entangle our feet in various ways and with various sins.  He is extremely ‘deceitful,’ so we are warned to be aware of sin (in disguise).  The devil never appears as he really is...he always masquerades as some thing (or someone) else.  Sin can also wear a ‘mask,’ and in that way, it can deceive us.  (Romans 7:11), “For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me...”  
	The Apostle explained further that the Law enables sin to be, “seen in its true light as sin, in order that by means of the Commandment the unspeakable sinfulness of sin might be plainly shown.” 
	Often we are not aware of the sin, (or the resentment) in our heart.  By placing our life in God’s hands each day, and asking Him to reveal any wrong way in our heart, we can repent and make any changes necessary.  Our sins can deceive us, if we are not careful.
	Due to the treachery of the devil, and due to the sinful nature we all begin life with, we can, (all too easily), fall away from the faith.  Far too many people think that following Jesus is just saying they ‘believe in Christ,’ but Luke 6:46 says, "Why do you call me, `Lord...' and do not do what I say?”
	There certainly is something to ‘do’...and it is to accept God’s Word without compromise.  Jesus said in Matthew 10:37 that if we love anything more than Him, we were ‘not worthy of Him.’
	That means to accept, (and to live by), God’s Word concerning everything.  "Why do you call me, `Lord...' and do not do what I say?”  If we don’t follow Jesus, then we must not love Him (nor believe in Him).  We are, (then), the ones He speaks to when He says, “I don't know you,” (Matthew 25:12).
	Satan makes it easy to ‘turn away’ from God, and to ‘fall away’ from faith in Christ.  We need to be careful, and to take ‘spiritual inventory.’  (13) "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” 
	A ‘life of faith’ is a ‘walk by faith’ in God.  The devil deceives people by having them think that if they don’t deliberately hurt anyone, attend church services, and are generally honest in money matters, that they are alright with God.  But then why all warnings in the Bible?
	"Be careful," Jesus says (Matthew 16:6).  "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  There are many wrong doctrines and teaching today, like ‘eternal security,’ ‘once saved, always saved,’ and various other names, (or from various religious organizations).  We must be careful ‘lest we fall away’ from the true path of faith in God.
	The Apostle Paul warns in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!”  
	We must be sure that our trust is in God and our faith is in Christ.  Have we made the choice to depend on God to supply our needs, to protect us, to guide us, to heal our bodies, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)?
	Hebrews 10:38, “My righteous one will live by faith.  And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."  Have we gone backward, spiritually, or have we fallen away from the faith?  By the grace of God, the answer will be verse 39, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.”
	That is as plain as it can be said, “It is by faith that My righteous servant shall live.”  Everyone has that choice to make... in whom have we placed our trust?  Either we believe in Christ Jesus (to the saving of our soul), or we disbelieve to our destruction in Gehenna.
	If we really believe in Christ, and if we have really committed our life to God right, our faith will endure.  The greatest proof of our words (‘we believe with all our heart in the Lord Jesus Christ’), is our continuing in the faith.  
	Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples,” (John 8:31).  If anyone turns away from the faith, 1 John 2:19 applies, “They have gone forth from our midst, but they did not really belong to us; for had they belonged to us, they would have remained with us.  But they left us that it might be manifest that professed believers do not all belong to us,” (WEY).
	Can we turn away from living by faith?  Obviously we can fall away from the faith, judging from the many warnings.  “Beware, brethren,” (Hebrews 3:12 warns) “lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.”
	Let us re-commit our life to God each day, asking that He search our heart and to reveal any sinful ways in us.  We have already heard the Truth, it is now up to each individual to live it (by the power of the Holy Spirit).
	[As our morning message told us], ‘Every day we have to make choices, and the choices we make are the building blocks of who we are.  We affirm our faith in Christ, by the choices we make in life.
	‘The true Christian life is one of learning and growing in the faith.  It is to read God’s Word, so we know His will.  Then we can put it into practice, by the choices we make.
	‘We are to read the Bible, and to know about the enormous price Jesus paid for our life.  Then we can make our choices, based on God’s Word.  That is what reflects our faith, and that is what gives evidence that we love God and His Son with all of our heart.
	‘The devil cannot defeat us, when Christ is within us.  By the grace of God, may all our choices be based on faith.  May we all see the importance of repenting, turning to God, and making life choices that prove our repentance is genuine, (Acts 26:20), [unquote].
	“We must pay more careful attention...to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away,” (Hebrews 2:1).  And 1 Timothy 4:16, “Watch your life and doctrine closely.  Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
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	The First-Century Gospel Church
5744 NORTH FRONT STREET
PHILADELPHIA PA  19120-2404  USA
FAX: 215 549 6590 * E-mail: naclark@bellatlantic.net