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A Path For Return

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A Path For Return

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  1. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding Him up to contempt.

  2. A Path For Return Identifying Actions That Help Us Return To God When We Start To Wander From Him

  3. When You Wander From God • Identifying decisions that either make it possible to return to God or prevent it: • Hosea urged repentance but acknowledged the difficult path to restoration they had created… Their deeds did not permit them to return to God (Hosea 5:3-5) • When God’s people returned from captivity, they made decisions that hindered a full return: • Physical return represented a greater spiritual return • Marrying pagan wives (Ez 9:2-3); apathy with prosperity (Hagg 1:4); incomplete obedience (Neh. 13); and half hearted worship & devotion (Malachi 1) • Kept them distant from God, unspiritual, and weak

  4. When You Wander From God • Identifying decisions that either make it possible to return to God or prevent it: • Warnings in Hebrews gives us insight to what hinders and what helps us return to God: • Refocus on what we’ve heard. Not a knowledge issue. Complacent? Take for granted? Fire for obedience and submission to God’s word? (Hebrews 2:1, 3) • Recognize God, His goodness, His ways. Murmuring kills. Fear God. Obey God. Keep striving (Heb 3:7-4:11) • Don’t resist the difficult parts of God’s word. Staying on milk keeps us weak and promotes drifting (5:11-6:3)

  5. When You Wander From God • Identifying decisions that either make it possible to return to God or prevent it: • Warnings in Hebrews gives us insight to what hinders and what helps us return to God: • Keep assembling with faithful Christians. We need to be stirred up & encouraged. Home? (Hebrews 10:25) • Remember the former days. When you first came to Christ. Your sacrifices. Your zeal. Your works. Do you really want to give it all up? (Heb 10:32) • Focus on Jesus. His sacrifice for you. His example for facing trials and temptation. (Heb 12:1-2) • Practice gratitude. Lack of thankfulness is deadly (12:28)

  6. When You Wander From God • Identifying decisions that either make it possible to return to God or prevent it: • Be honest with ourselves about the dangerous position… There is an impossibility at stake (Heb 6:4-6) • Scary words! Sounds hopeless! There is a danger in wandering from God that we will never return • This is one who has experienced the joys and blessings of salvation and still leaves God. • Fall away? Not an occasional sin, a weakness, or a struggle. Blessings no longer move them (10:26-30) • Crucified again – Standing in place of those who put Him to death. Contempt. If Jesus doesn’t move you? • This is why being purposeful when we wander is vital!

  7. When You Wander From God • Some more practical & purposeful decisions • Do not remove yourself from interaction with other faithful Christians (Heb 3:13; Joel 1:14) • Don’t stop doing what is right just because your heart is distant. It will help your heart return (Gal 6:7-9) • Don’t just give up & cave to battle with sin (Rom 6:16) • Choose your relationships wisely. Those wandering from God won’t encourage us to return! (I Cor. 15:33) • Act based on what you know instead of what your feel. Let faith control your emotions (Jas 1:2-3, 13-17)

  8. Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love

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