CRIMINALS IN THE HOUSE OF GOD
  • 1 Timothy 3 v 15

“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

  • Luke 18 v 8

“I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find FAITH ON THE EARTH?”

  • The state of the Church these days is very lamentable.
  • God is ready to purge His Church now as we get near the end time.
  • John 15 v 1 – 7

v.1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.”

v.2 “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”

v.3 “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

v.4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”

v.5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

v.6 “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

v.7 “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

  • There are spiritual criminals in the house of God.

SPIRITUAL CRIMINALS

  1. BACKSLIDERS –        Proverbs 14 v 4
  2. SINNERS –        1 John 1 v 8 – 10
  3. CARNALLY MINDED PEOPLE –        8 v 6
  4. HATERS OF KNOWLEDGE –        1 v 30; Psalm 81 v 15
  5. PLEASURE SEEKERS –        21 v 17; Col. 3 v 2
  6. JEZEBEL –        2 Kings 9 v 7
  7. ADULTERERS AND ADULTRESSESS –        James 4 v 4
  8. WOLVES IN SHEEP SKINS –        20 v 29
  9. HYPOCRITES IN THE HOUSE OF GOD- Matthew 7 v 5
  10. FALSE PROPHETS –        Mathew 24 v 11 – 14
  11. UNREASONABLE MEN –        2 Thess 3 v 2
  12. MISERABLE COMFORTERS –        Job 16 v 2
  13. BACKSLIDERS
  • Proverbs 14 v 14

“The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.” 

  • 2 Cor. 13 v 5

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 

  • Hebrews 6 v 4 – 6

v.4 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,”

 v.5 “And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,”

 v.6 “If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

  • Backsliding is falling away from what you believe in.
  • Backsliding is when a person turns from God to purse his own desire.
  • Backsliders are those who have stopped following the Lord the way He should be followed.
  • Backsliders are those whose spiritual lives are now very weak.
  • Backsliders are those who find it difficult to study the word and pray.
  • Backsliders are those who find it difficult to witness about our Lord Jesus.
  • Backsliders are those who are now lazy spiritually.
  • Spiritual things don’t move them again.
  • Backsliders are those who are now too familiar with the things of God.
  • Backsliders are those talking, doing things anyhow in the house of God.

 SINGS OF BACKSLIDDING

  1. THE FOCUS OF YOUR HEART CHANGES FROM THE THINGS OF GOD TO THE THINGS OF THE WORLD
  • 1 Kings 11 v 1 – 4

v.1 “But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daugter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;”

 v.2 “Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.”

 v.3 “And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.”

 v.4 “For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.” 

  • Solomon once loved God and the ways of God.
  • He was once a giver whose sacrifices unto God provoked divine visitation.
  • He was mightily blessed of God
  • His heart strayed after strange women and other gods at last.
  1. YOU BECOME MORE CONCERNED ABOUT YOURSELF RATHER THAN THE THINGS OF GOD
  • Phil 2 v 21

“For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.”

  • John 6 v 26

“Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” 

  • Backsliders are now concerned with earthly things than the things of God
  1. Pleasing ourselves and families.
  2. Paying our bills (No more tithing and offering)
  3. No more purity of life and holiness.
  4. YOU NO LONGER HAVE PASSIONATE LOVE FOR GOD AND HIS WORK
  • Malachi 3 v 7

“Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?”

  • Psalm 119 v 11 and 16

v.11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

 v.16 “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.” 

  • Your time with God dwindles.
  • No more bible reading, No more family altar, No more quiet time.
  • No more giving to the kingdom concerns.
  • Your heart is no more in the things of God.
  1. YOU QUENCH THE VOICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
  • 1 Thes 5 v 19

“Quench not the Spirit.” 

  • John 16 v 13

 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” 

  • John 17 v 17

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”

  • No more relationship with the Holy Spirit.
  • No more dreaming and having clear visions.
  • No more hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit.
  • No more inner witnessing.
  • No more experiencing the atmosphere of God’s presence.
  1. YOUR LIFESTYLE BECOMES MORE SINFUL THAN MORE HOLY OR PURE
  • 1 Cor. 6 v 9

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,” 

  • Ephesians 5 v 5

“For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.” 

  • Galatians 5 v 19 – 21

v.19 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,”

 v.20 “Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,”

 v.21 “Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” 

  • Hebrews 12 v 14 -17

v.14 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”

 v.15 “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”

 v.16 “Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.”

 v.17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

  1. YOUR CHURCH ATTENDANCE BECOMES LESS IMPORTANT TO YOU
  • Heb 10 v 25

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

  • You now despise going to Church
  • You have decided to be an online watcher when you should be in Church.
  • You forsake the saints’ assembly.
  1. YOU NO LONGER RESPOND TO ALTAR CALLS
  • Acts 2 v 36 – 38

v.36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 v.37 “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

 v.38 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

  • Altar calls for Repentance, Restitution, givings don’t more you again
  • You become an analyst in the house of God.

 Finally,  2 Cor. 13 v 5

“Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

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