John K. Jenkins Sr - A Call To Backsliders

A Call to Backsliders. That 's the title of this message. Somebody say, "A Call to Backsliders." Call to backsliders! Say it one more time: A Call to Backsliders. Somebody on your row is a backslider. Go ahead and figure out who it is. Look up and down the row and determine, right at the outset , who the backsliders are on your row. Now, if you can't figure out who it is after looking up and down the row , then the chances are that the whole row is a backsliding row.

Israel, throughout the course of her history, had God perform for them miracles and supernatural things. God opened up doors. God provided. God fed them. They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and never came across a grocery store, but God fed them. They were people who were delivered out of bondage. They got down to the Red Sea; you know the story. Moses stretched out his rod , and the waters rolled up on both sides, and they walked over on dry ground. Y'all read the Bible, haven't you? Seen the movie? One or the other, whatever it is. These are people of God , chosen by God, and God did tremendous things on their behalf. God performed miracles for them. It goes on and on-how He healed them, how He delivered them, how He made provisions for them, and how He fought the battles for them, defeating their enemies . Some of their battles were won without them ever having to lift a sword. There were some battles where God said, "This battle is not yours but Mine; it's the Lord's battle ."

God did tremendous things for the children of Israel, but the drama and tragedy are that, in spite of how good God had been to Israel, they still had seasons and moments in their lifetime and throughout their history when they chose to drift away from God. I know y'all don't want to say "Amen" to that, but the truth of the matter is, in the same way God has been good to them, God has been good to you. God has blessed you; God has put miracles in your life; He's opened up doors. I bet everybody here today-I don't care where you are in your walk or your journey - has at least one thing that they know God did for them .

But the tragedy is that it is possible to be in the house of God, in the Church of God , and be in church every Sunday while still being in a backsliding condition. That went over y'all's heads; let me wind it up and give it back to you again. It 's possible to be in church every week with the Bible under your arm and the cross hanging around your neck, bigger than the one Jesus died on, and still be in a backsliding mode. It's possible to sing in the choir and be in a backsliding mode. It's possible to be an usher and be in a backsliding mode.

During the course of my journey, my own walk with God , as much as I would like for y'all to believe that I've dotted every "i" and crossed every "t," the fact is I'm jacked up . God is still working on me, amen? I'm in need of God . God needs to work on me. He's still working on me. As much as I would like y'all to believe that I got saved over 30 years ago-34, 35 years ago-and accepted the Lord, got called to preach, and have been preaching for 32, coming up on 33 years now, I would like for y'all to think that, during that whole duration of time, I have just been the man, dotted every "i," crossed every "t," been where I'm supposed to be, loved God, never thought about doing wrong, never did wrong, and never wanted to do wrong. I want y'all to think that, but that would be far from the truth.

The reality is that even as a preacher, there have been times when my heart has been separated from God. Y'all don 't have to say "Amen." I'm going to go ahead and preach this thing. The danger of being in a backslidden mode, as Jeremiah is given this assignment of talking to backslidden Israel, is that most people in a backslidden mode are deceived . If you have an opportunity, jot down Jeremiah 8:5. I'm not going to turn there, but if you're taking notes , I want you to read that passage when you get a chance. Jeremiah 8:5 unveils to us that people who are in a backsliding mode are deceived and hold on to their deception . The Bible says they are in a perpetual backsliding state, holding fast to deceit . They accept some lie and hold on to that lie as truth.

What allows the enemy to have influence in your life is that he will tell you a lie that you will accept as truth, and you won't let it go. You 'll hold on to it. That 's what Jeremiah 8 :5 says : they hold fast to deceit and refuse to return to God . The devil will make you believe that something is true when it is not.