I Have Surely Heard Ephraim Bemoaning Himself

There are no backsliders in heaven or atheists in hell. Once we die ALL erroneous theology will be corrected! If one is away from God today, the way is made plain back to the Father through Christ and the Cross once we have strayed from the path of life; It begins with us bemoaning our condition like Ephraim did before he returned; God will allow you to run as far away from Him as you like, but He never takes His eyes off of you. When you’re ready to return, He’s always waiting for that moment

    The evangelical church of America has a tremendous problem. It doesn’t know what to do with its backsliders. In every evangelical circle just about you will find a varying degree of interpretation on where the backslider stands with God. For the most part however, many will say that the backslider is still in the family of God but is just out of fellowship. No matter how far the person has gone into sin we tend to say that if that person dies in this condition, God will welcome him in heaven with open arms and there is no possibility that person will EVER lose his eternal soul. I was in a service not too long ago when a gentleman came down to the front of the church. He had evidently once knew God but had fallen into drugs and alcohol addiction. The counselor introducing the gentleman to the church made a bold statement that even though this person had fallen into sin that he really never left God and God had never really left him. The insinuation was that even in this person’s backslidden condition, he was never in danger of hell. He had just fallen out of fellowship.

    A lot of this teaching comes from the doctrine of unconditional eternal security which basically says no matter how deep in sin you are as long as you have said a sinner’s prayer at some point in your life you are saved eternally. People who stray from the Christian walk are usually labeled as those who have never truly been born again but are merely "professing" Christians. This attitude has, I’m afraid damned millions to hell without hope of mercy because we as the church have tried to tell these people their salvation is secure in the sight of God no matter what their lifestyle is.

    There is an interesting fact in scripture that is worth noting before we get into this writing on backsliding. The Bible clearly defines a backslider as one who has "departed from the faith." In the last days, Paul said a great falling away would come to the church. Interestingly enough he did not say it would come to the world. The world is in darkness already. It is desperately seeking light and that light can only be found in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus has left the church to be His light here on earth. No, Paul was talking about conditions in the church.

    To "depart from the faith," you must have had to have the faith to begin with in the first place. Many try to argue this away by saying that salvation is all of God and none of us. While there is an element of truth in this the hard core fact of the matter is that we do play a role in our salvation. Paul warns the church often in his writings to "work out" our salvation with fear and tremble.

    The word "work out" indicates there is a part WE play in this great salvation process. This is underscored again in Hebrews 2 when Paul says we should give earnest heed to our walk lest we miss this great salvation. Again, "give earnest heed" is a phrase signifying action, not passivity when it comes to our salvation

Heb 2:1-4 - Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will

    I was in a member’s class in this same church I just spoke off during the summer when one individual argued with the pastor over whether our doctrinal statement should say we should "ask" Jesus in our hearts because in his view Jesus "DID IT ALL." He stated that because we think we play a role in our salvation we tend to doubt more. He said that was why the church had so many people come down time and time again to "get saved" because they were not sure and by telling them they had to "ask" Jesus into their heart it was showing we played a role in it

    Now, as absurd as that sounds as you read this, it was just as absurd hearing it in a new member’s class at a major denominational church. But it is the evangelical mindset that refuses to believe that a person’s free will is paramount in the salvation process. We can elect to walk with the Lord all our life or we can freely choose to walk away from the Lord at any point during the same time span. If we do walk away we run the risk of losing our eternal souls. Sadly, the church has wrestled the scriptures to their own destruction

    In other passages Paul tells us to "watch" diligently lest a root of bitterness sink in and we become like thorns and thistles and are rejected

Heb 6:6-9 - 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. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak

Again, the phrase "looking diligently" indicates we play a role in this process. We are the ones who are to look diligently after our salvation. God has done His part and will continue to do His part in our lives. But we must be in total union with Jesus and that requires an act of faith AND OBEDIENCE on our part. In yet another passage Paul went as far to say that he himself must keep his body in subjection lest after he had won the world, he too became a castaway. If the one who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament had to guard his own life, how much more should we today?

The Words of Jesus Himself

    Many evangelicals tend to hold the written word in so much esteem they miss the spirit behind the word and the importance of a person knowing WHO wrote the book, more than the book itself. Jesus warned that those who were His and yet were not bearing fruit were in danger of eternal damnation.

John 15:4-7 - 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. 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. 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. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

Luke 13:7-9 - Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it dow

    James warns us to be doers of the word, not hearers only:

James 1:22-24 - But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was

    And, if simply believing was the only prerequisite for salvation, then the very demons of hell would be saved and we know that is not true:

James 2:19-20 - Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

    Paul said a sign of the last days would be many in the church, "departing" from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. I heard a recent sermon by a missionary who belongs to one of the main line evangelical denominations in America say that the only place the Bible stated people "fell" under the power was where people fell forward and prostate, but never backward. He went on to say that if people were falling backward then there were demonic spirits present. It is from this same movement where most of the moving of the Holy Spirit are lampooned, lambasted and rejected behind scores of pulpits.

1 Tim 4:1-5 - Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer

  Backsliding Defined

    The word "backsliding" comes from the Hebrew word, "meshuwbah (mesh-oo-baw') which is a form of the Greek word apostasy. Apostasy is simply defined as a "departure from the faith, or turning away. The nation of Israel fell into repeated backslidings <Jer. 5:6>, (RSV). The prophet Jeremiah predicted the judgment of God upon such disloyalty: "Your wickedness will chasten you, and your apostasy will reprove you" <Jer. 2:19>, (RSV). Some of the noted apostates in the Bible are: King Saul, who turned back from following the Lord <1 Sam. 15:11>; Hymenaeus and Alexander, who "suffered shipwreck" of their faith <1 Tim. 1:19-20>; and Demas, who forsook the apostle Paul because he loved this present world <2 Tim. 4:10>. In <Acts 21:21> the apostle Paul was described falsely as one who taught the Jews living among the Gentiles to commit apostasy (forsake, NKJV). <Second Thessalonians 2:3> declares that the Day of Christ "will not come unless the apostasy comes first." This great apostasy will be the time of "the final rebellion against God, when wickedness will be revealed in human form" <2 Thes. 2:3>, Apostasy is generally defined as the determined, willful rejection of Christ and His teachings by a Christian believer.

Heb 10:26-29 - For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?)

John 15:22 - If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin

    This is different from false belief, or error, which is the result of ignorance. Some Christian groups teach that apostasy is impossible for those persons who have truly accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. The numbers game of the modern church has blinded us to the fact that our churches are full of just such people like this who once really did know God yet they willfully walked away from God. We call those people backsliders. Backsliders who know God and know their condition, yet are cold and lukewarm in their relationship to God. To appease our consciences and keep our tallies up for the home office of our denominations, we list every one who comes down and confesses salvation as "new" converts instead of listing them as those who were once in the faith but who came back to the true and living God. We view the backslider as someone who was never saved to begin with so when he makes a true confession he is now "once saved, always saved." We are going to take a look at the tribe of Ephraim and his backslidings and return to God because we feel it is a pattern and shadow of not only the condition of the church but also it is a road map back to God and true fellowship with the Son.

   Ephraim Was Once Fruitful, But Fell Away From God's Call

    Through Hosea and Jeremiah, God gives reasons for and warnings to those that are once in the faith but leave the faith and go back into sin. These are not the only references but these are the times the word "backsliding" is actually used in scripture

Jer 3:6 - The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah. Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God?

Jer 8:5 - Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return

  Ephraim, a Beautiful Picture of the Backslider Returning To God

    As you know if you study your Bible, Ephraim was the second son of Joseph and was adopted by Jacob.

    Being the younger, he was not entitled to the blessing of the firstborn but was blessed before Manasseh.

Gen. 48:14-20 - And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

    Ephraim means, "God has made me fruitful in a barren place." Joseph named him this to always remind himself of his plight in Egyptian slavery before the Lord brought him out. His other son, Manasseh meant "God will help me to forget." Manasseh would be great, but Ephraim would become a multitude of nations. The day Jacob crossed his hands was symbolic of a time when another Father would cross his hands in eternity for the salvation of mankind.

    Nearly 2000 years ago, God the Father took his right hand of blessing which should have went on our elder brother, Jesus and put it on us while he took his left hand and placed it on Jesus in judgment to pay our debt of sin. Hallelujah to the Lamb forever. We should have received the hand of judgment, not blessing. But the elder took the judgment so that we, the younger could become a multitude of nations, a royal priesthood, a HOLY nation to show praises unto the Lord our God

    Ephraim became one of the 12 tribes of Israel. It is listed as one of the tribes out of which will come 144,000 Jews during the Great Tribulation period. There are many prophecies concerning Ephraim in scripture:

Isaiah prophesied against Ephraim when the tribe backslid and took counsel with Israel’s enemies, Syria

Isa 7:1 - And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could not prevail against it And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind. Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field; And say unto him, Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah. Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have taken evil counsel against thee, saying, Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal: Thus saith the Lord GOD, It shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass. For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established. The LORD shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father's house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. And they shall come, and shall rest all of themin the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

Received a blessing by Moses

Deut 33:13-17 - And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. His glory is like the firstling of his bullock, and his horns are like the horns of unicorns: with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh

        Ephraim would be blessed and prosper according to Moses. He would "push the people together" to the ends of the earth. He did not start out like Dan, which did not get any type of blessing like this from Moses. Ephraim was at the forefront of God’s plan for the nation until he went back on God and wound up fighting against God’s people. Ephraim would receive an inheritance under Joshua’s command and administration when the 12 tribes finally inherited Canaan. But inheriting the land would not be the cure for Ephraim’s backslidings. It was just the beginning.

Josh 16:4-10 - So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance. And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Beth-horon the upper; And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Ta'anath-shiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah; And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan. The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families. And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute

Ephraim’s Exploits and Conquests

    Before we look at Ephraim’s fall, I want to take a brief look at Ephraim’s conquest and work in the conquest of Canaan and show you that Ephraim once knew the living God fully yet still decided to turn its back on God

Judg 1:22-25 - And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD was with them. house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.) And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.

They rebuked Gideon for not summoning them to join the war against the Midianites but eventually joined Gideon in his struggle against the Midianites.

Judg 7:24-8:1 - And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan. 8:1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou called us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.

2 Chr 34:1-6 - Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither to the right hand, nor to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images. And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about

Ephraim’s Backslidings

    Even though Ephraim did all these things listed above, the tribe fell into deep idolatry and sin. It all started with disobeying the Lord and allowing the Canaanites to remain in their territory. And that is how backsliding starts – one act of disobedience.

  The Holy Spirit and the Backslider

       There has never been a backslider who backslid over night. I’m sure God reproved Ephraim often for its disobedience to him but Ephraim would not listen. Saul, the first king of Israel was given many chances before God finally removed His hand from him and took the kingdom. However, with each act of disobedience it becomes easier and easier to stray from the path God has chosen for us. We get harder and harder with each rejection. We get so hard and cold that no one – our parents, our pastor, our Sunday school teacher, our husbands, nor our wives – can reach us. And most important, God cannot reach us. The Holy Spirit will deal and deal and deal and deal. As I write this I feel the anointing of the Holy Spirit on me. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just walk away at first. He pleads, he convicts, and he woos you. He wakes you up in the middle of the night dealing with your heart. God will at times even send dreams to cause us to pause and think of where we are at spiritually. God will send people to us. He will put us in places where we can not deny that we are in the place God wants us to be. I say this without hesitation. No one – AND I MEAN NO ONE – really knows where the line is that God draws when He stops dealing with a person. That line is different for everyone. Some people have chance after chance after chance while others are dealt with once or twice and the Lord just stops dealing. Ephraim reached a point in his life where God stopped dealing with him because he was joined to idols

        When God stops dealing, the only covering for sin is judgment. We are in no means in any place to say when this takes place in other people’s lives. Either way, it is a dangerous thing to live on the edge of sin in hopes of throwing ourselves on the mercy of God in the 11^th hour. There are no guarantees there is going to be an 11^th hour reprieve. Our life is but a vapor. We are not promised of tomorrow. Each one of you reading this including myself are only a breath away from eternal damnation, eternal shame or eternal reward

James 4:13-16 - Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil

        As Paul said, there remains no more remission for willful sin. A backslider knows the way yet refuses to walk in it. Sin hardens you each time you commit an act of disobedience. You steal one dollar and it becomes easier to steal ten. You tell one lie and before you know it you’ve told five lies to cover the first. You look at one dirty magazine and before you know it you are bound by deep pornography. One look turns into a wrecked marriage, a wrecked life and a wrecked eternity. You causally deal in illicit relationships with the opposite sex thinking no harm will come. It winds up in adultery and fornication where homes are shattered, husbands and wives heartbroken and children ripped apart because of one act. It’s more than the act, it’s the power of sin behind the act. It’s the plight of the American church. We’ve become so immune to sin, we don’t even know what is right or wrong anymore and we refuse to admit that our "members" can fall from grace and succumb to its power

He That Despises the Law

Heb 10:26-31 - For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God

        He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. When we despise the law of God that is no longer written on tables of stone but through the power of the convicting Holy Spirit of God in our hearts, we also die without mercy. Paul said we were in danger of "sorer" punishment than those under the Law of Moses. When we sin under Grace we are trampling under foot the blood of the covenant. The answer to this is judgment. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Is this the message of the 20^th century evangelical church? NOT! We are preaching a gospel that gives immunity to the backslider and sinner under the cloak of "unconditional eternal security." We give the backslider assurances that we should not be giving him. His soul is in eternal peril! He needs to repent before it is too late. Our message to him in the church today is, "you’re just out of fellowship but your standing in heaven is ‘secure.’" Folks, we are sending people to hell with this type theology. God’s grace is sufficient and His love is deep. His love however is rooted in His holiness and His holiness demands that we take on His nature and OBEY Him. Obedience not sacrifice will gain us eternal life.

        This is why it’s harder to reach a backslider than it is a lost person who has never known God. Backsliders tend to be self-righteous and proud in their thinking because of the doctrines they have been taught in evangelical circles. A preacher preaches a message under the anointing. A man who has been a drunk all his life hears the message and gets saved immediately. Another man in the same condition, except this man has known God once and then went back into alcohol hears the same message and he runs from it knowing what is being said is true but he is not ready to come back to God. He knows to come back to God means he must give up his alcohol.

        This is why Jesus warned that when a man’s house is clean, it’s important to get the word in the house. If the word of God is not put in the house, seven unclean spirits will come in and make the condition of that man WORSE than even the man who has never heard the name of God

Matt 12:43-45 - When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

        Man’s bondage is spiritual in nature, not psychological. That’s why our churches need to stop wasting its time and the poor sinner’s time trying to analyze the man’s problem. The man need’s deliverance!

        The Chastening of God Is Meant to Turn the Backslider Back to Him

Jer 31:18-19 - I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke: turn thou me, and I shall be turned; for Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth

        The Lord loves whom he chastens. The chastisement of God is never for the destruction of the person involved but to turn the sinner back to the way of the Lord. Chastisement is the way of sons, not bastards.

Heb 12:6-12 - For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

        The Lord chastised Ephraim and he heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. He was like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Backsliders were in the yoke at one time but got out from underneath it because they refused correction. When God chastens you He will use whatever means necessary to turn you back to Him. He will go to hell and back to bring you back to Jesus. David wrote if he made his bed in heaven, God was still there. If he made his bed in hell, God was there too. You can’t outrun God the Holy Ghost. You can’t outrun God the Holy Ghost alcoholic. You can’t outrun God the Holy Ghost drug addict. You can’t outrun God the Holy Ghost you that are involved in sexual sin. You can’t outrun God the Holy Ghost those who have a call of God on your life. You can’t outrun God the Holy Ghost backslider

        After Ephraim Was Chastened, He Turned and Repented

    Jeremiah said, speaking of Ephraim, "when I was turned, I repented." The first step in returning to God is turning and repenting.

    Repentance is a turning away from sin, disobedience, or rebellion and a turning back to God <Matt. 9:13; Luke 5:32>. In a more general sense, repentance means a change of mind <Gen. 6:6-7> or a feeling of remorse or regret for past conduct <Matt. 27:3>. True repentance is a "godly sorrow" for sin, an act of turning around and going in the opposite direction. This type of repentance leads to a fundamental change in a person's relationship to God. It’s more than just saying I’m sorry. It’s turning from sin and the attitude that I can sin without punishment. A person who is truly born again grieves when he sins against God. A false convert grieves because he is caught in his sin. This is what Paul speaks of in his letter to the Corinthians when he speaks of a godly sorrow and a sorrow unto death. Crying over one’s sin is not enough. We must TURN and REPENT.

2 Cor 7:9-11 - Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.

        Our altars are full of people who cry but who do not repent. Only God sees the heart and we must allow the Holy Spirit to convict to the deepest part of a person’s heart so that person will truly turn and be converted. Crying is usually a good sign someone is repenting but crying is not the sign of a changed heart. A denying of sin and self is a sign the person has truly been converted.

 The Message of the Bible is "Repent"

        In the Old Testament the classic case of repentance is that of King David, after Nathan the prophet accused him of killing Uriah the Hittite and committing adultery with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. David's prayer of repentance for this sin is found in <Psalm 51>. In the New Testament the keynote of John the Baptist's preaching was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" <Matt. 3:2>. To the multitudes he declared, "Bear fruits worthy of repentance" <Matt. 3:8; Luke 3:8>. When Jesus began His ministry, He took up John's preaching of the message of repentance, expanding the message to include the good news of salvation: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel" <Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:15>.

        When Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God, He pointed out repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin: by repentance, one turns away from sin; by faith, one turns toward God in accepting the Lord Jesus Christ. Such a twofold turning, or conversion, is necessary for entrance into the kingdom <Matt. 18:3>. "Unless you repent," said Jesus, "you will all likewise perish" <Luke 13:3,5>. This is the negative, or judgmental, side of Jesus' message. The positive, or merciful, side is seen in these words: "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" <Luke 15:10>.

        The message of Peter on the day of Pentecost when the power of the Holy Spirit was poured out in tremendous power was "Repent." <Acts 2:38; 3:19; 20:21; 26:20> Repentance is a turning from wickedness and dead works <Acts 8:22; Heb. 6:1> toward God and His glory <Acts 20:21; Rev. 16:9>, eternal life <Acts 11:18>, and a knowledge of the truth <2 Tim. 2:25>. Repentance is associated with prayer <1 Kin. 8:47>, belief <Mark 1:15>, baptism <Acts 2:38>, and conversion <Acts 3:19> and is accompanied by humility <Matt. 11:21>. Repentance is God's will and pleasure <Luke 15:7-10; 2 Pet. 3:9>, as well as His command <Mark 6:12; Acts 17:30>. It is a gift of His sovereign love <Acts 5:31; 11:18; Rom. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25>, without which we cannot be saved <Luke 13:3>.

Ps 51:10-13 - Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

        David and Daniel made interesting comments concerning repentance and instruction. Daniel tied instructing into those who were strong and would do exploits for God in the last days. Those who sinned against the covenant were people of flattery and not truth. David promised the Lord that after he turned from his wickedness he would teach trangressors "thy ways" and sinners shall be converted to thee. The church must return to its roots of instruction and rebuke if necessary. We are not calling for witch hunts or hangings. However, the New Testament instructs us to instruct those out of the way of the Lord, not flatter them with lies about their eternal souls. We are to save some with fear, Jude says, pulling them out of the fire. Most of our counseling sessions are nothing less than a pat on the back as we assure the sinner his condition is O.K.

Jude 1:22-23 - And of some have compassion, making a difference:

        Peter writes that "love covers a multitude of sins." James writes in his epistle that if one errs from the truth and one converts him, we shall save that soul from death and hide a multitude of sin. We cannot err from the truth if we never had the truth to start. This is not talking about a sinner, it’s talking about a backslider. It’s talking about the Ephraim’s of this world who are bemoaning themselves because of their condition. By doing this we will hide a multitude of sin. This is love. This is true agape love. It’s love that corrects and rebukes when needed. It’s love that tells the truth no matter the cost. It’s love that chastises, not to destroy, but to heal. It’s the God way. It’s a way we have lost in the church as we approach the new millennium.

James 5:19-20 - Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

        No chastisement is joyous but if we are to inherit eternal life we must realize that we will be chastised for our sins if we are truly the Lord’s. Only bastards receive no chastisement. Instruction is part of that chastisement. When we are instructed, we are receiving the love of the Lord Jesus. He chastens whom He loves.

Heb 12:6-12 - For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees

        We have lost a very important element in the evangelical church today – blushing. We are no longer ashamed of our sin. When a sinner truly repents, he is ashamed of his condition, not proud of it. Jeremiah asked Israel was they ashamed at their sin prior to captivity. He said they were not ashamed enough even to blush. Because of this attitude, judgment fell.

Jer 8:12-15 - Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD. I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them. We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of health, and behold trouble!

        They were not ashamed nor could they blush. In the time of their visitation Israel would be cast down because she was not ashamed of her sin. Is not this the plight of the church today? Have we reached a point where we allow people to sin and commit lewdness in our midst and we’re not even ashamed anymore? We don’t blush anymore at the dirty jokes at the office. We don’t blush anymore at the sin we watch on TV? Could it be our hearts have become so hardened that we have backslid? When Ephraim turned and repented, he was instructed and when he was instructed on his error, he was ashamed and smote his thigh. Could it be the nature of our converts can be tied into our teaching? Could it be that the nature of our births determine the nature of the spiritual life we see in our members? Just a thought

        Israel looked for peace, but no good came. They looked for a time of health and trouble came. We are headed for judgment if we don’t repent. We are headed for a time of trouble if we don’t turn around. We are headed down a road to hell if we don’t come to our senses and realize that God is very serious in His word in regards to our spiritual lives. We need to stop partying and start smiting our thighs. It’s time to bemoan our condition

James 4:8-10 - Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up

      The call of the Bible to the sinner is clear – DRAW NIGH TO GOD. Cleanse your hands. Purify your hearts. Be afflicted. MOURN and weep. Stop laughing and turn to mourning. Let your joy be turned into heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. The modern 20^th century church is too busy applauding its accomplishments and large membership rolls. We’re too busy worrying about how quick we can grow our church rolls instead of worrying about who on our rolls are really right with God and who on our rolls are backslidden and in danger of eternal damnation. I heard Ephraim bemoaning himself. Are we so busying making merry with our dinners and get together we cannot hear sinners bemoaning themselves any more?

        Are we so busy with our daily routine that we don’t hear the cries of the lost? The people in hell don’t care about your steeple, pastor. The people in hell don’t care if your church finished first last year in the spring softball leagues. The people in hell don’t care about the color of your carpet or the stain glass windows. The people in hell don’t care about the number of activities you have for your youth or old people. The backslider who slips off into eternity without God will look you in the eye church counselor one day and ask you why you told him he was saved when he was really lost. He will look for you pastor and ask you with hate in his heart why you never preached against sin because you worried you might cause the rich people in the church to walk away and leave. Eternity will be an awesome and horrible time for millions. Are we preparing people for eternity? Are we preaching the truth? Are we instructing sinners? Are we pleading with the backslider to come home? Hosea wrote in his prophetic strain that the Lord had seen a horrible thing in Ephraim – whoredom. I wonder if the Lord acknowledge the condition of the church today would He say the same thing

          The Lord Pleads With Ephraim Again and Again to Return Just As He Does With the Backslider Today

Hosea 6:4-7 - O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness: now their own doings have beset them about; they are before my face. For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire

        When the Lord would have healed Israel, Ephraim’s iniquity was discovered. They committed falsehood, or in other words, they refused to admit their condition. As a result, the thief came in and the robbers spoiled the nation. When we refuse to admit our sin and turn back to God, the enemy will come in to steal, kill and to destroy

Ephraim Turned to the World For Help When Judgment Fell But Found No Solace or Security in Assyria - As A Result, His Backsliding Grew Worse

Hosea 8:9-11 - For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers. Yea, though they have hired among the nations, now will I gather them, and they shall sorrow a little for the burden of the king of princes. Because Ephraim hath made many altars to sin, altars shall be unto him to sin

        The Lord passes a terrible judgment on Ephraim – because he made many altars to sin, every altar that he kneels at now will be unto him a sin. How true it is today of the backslider. God sees the heart of man. No matter how pretty our outward clothes are or how slick we look to other people, God knows whether we are right with Him or not. We can hire all the lovers we want to rescue us out of our delusion but they will only lead us down a deeper road of delusion, despair and destruction. Our hearts must turn to the Lord and THEN He will wash away our sin and iniquity and set us free from the spiritual blindness that pervades in the land today

        God goes on to tell Ephraim that as a result of His continual backsliding, he shall not dwell in the Lord’s land but shall return to Egypt. We will either live clean and holy and dwell in the tabernacle of God or we will return to the slave pits of Egypt. Many backsliders who read this are bound by deep sin but have not found relief in Egypt. Sin cannot cast out sin and darkness cannot cast out darkness. When you backslide, you wind up eating unclean things in Assyria just as Ephraim was told he would do

Hosea 9:3-11 - They shall not dwell in the Lord's land; but Ephraim shall return to Egypt, and they shall eat unclean things in Assyria. They shall not offer wine offerings to the LORD, neither shall they be pleasing unto him: their sacrifices shall be unto them as the bread of mourners; all that eat thereof shall be polluted: for their bread for their soul shall not come into the house of the LORD. What will ye do in the solemn day, and in the day of the feast of the LORD. For, lo, they are gone because of destruction: Egypt shall gather them up, Memphis shall bury them: the pleasant places for their silver, nettles shall possess them: thorns shall be in their tabernacles.

        The backslider, like Ephraim, is GONE because of destruction. Egypt always gathers you up when you return to the worldly way of living. You may say in your heart, well I’ll bring others up to my level while living worldly, but the world always brings you down to theirs. It’s time we leave Egypt and Assyria and cling to the Lord Jesus with all our heart and soul.

A Vision Lisa Had

        My lovely wife Lisa had a powerful dream a few weeks ago that illustrates this so vividly. She was in a church and Jesus was standing behind a pulpit. As she watched Jesus look at her, she asked him what His plans were for her life and our lives in general as well. Jesus calmly stepped out of the pulpit, took her to the window and said to her, "Nothing is ever seen clearly through a dirty glass. My purposes and plans are only seen by the pure in heart. The glass must be clean to see clearly what is ahead." Lisa has one of the sweetest spirits and cleanest hearts I think I’ve ever met. But the day she told me about this vision, we both fell on our faces and wept and repented of anything that was keeping us from seeing clearly the Lord Jesus and His plans for our life.

        Backslider, you cannot continue to live in Egypt and Syria and see your way back home. You must make the first move to God and He will the give you the light to help you find your way back to Him. He’s committed about your deliverance and freedom from spiritual slavery and sin. He wants you to inherit eternal life. He gets no joy in the death of any sinner, be it backslider or someone who has never heard the name of Jesus. When you’re in Egypt, the glass is always dirty and the purpose of your life is hard to see. Believe me from first hand experience. When you’re away from God, NOTHING is clear. You lose your way, your walk, your purpose, your conscience, your convictions and your clarity of mind. That is the plight of the backslider. That is the plight of the one who, like Ephraim, takes up his abode in Egypt and Assyria after dwelling in the tabernacle of God.

The Days of Visitation And Recompense Are Come

Hosea 3:7-11 The days of visitation are come, the days of recompense are come; Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred. The watchman of Ephraim was with my God: but the prophet is a snare of a fowler in all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God. They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.  I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved. As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception

    The days of backslider are tough. Hosea said when the day of visitation and recompense for backsliding comes, it is a day of hatred in the house of God. It is a day of shame. The glory of your life flies away like a newborn bird flies away from the womb of its mother. When the days come, the Lord says, "Israel shall know it." Sadly, the church today is so busy promoting prosperity and get rich quick schemes we no longer recognize sin for what it is. As Hosea proclaims, the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad because of the great multitude of iniquity and the great hatred in the house of God.

    Hear me well. If the church does not return to God corporately and corporately repent of its hatred within its rank, we are heading down a road of delusion and madness. Some of the things coming out of most churches is almost to the point of comical. However, its hard to laugh at these things when one realizes that men’s souls are on the line and in the balance and millions perish when the church of the Lord Jesus ceases to be the church of the Lord Jesus. The Book of Acts and the epistles present the criteria for the Church, in other words how the Holy Spirit moves and operates. That is our pattern. If any ministry or church falls short of this pattern, that ministry or church is backslidden. What is the pattern?

    First, there must be a strong proclamation of the WORD of God. The preaching and teaching of the Gospel is the foundational stone upon which the church was built and it is still the foundation we must never stop building upon. Spiritual fads come and go, but the Word remains the same. It must be primary and never secondary.

    Secondly, efforts must be made to get souls saved and believers baptized with the Holy Ghost. These things must not be secondary but primary. The more secondary they are, the more unscriptural a ministry becomes, what ever that Ministry is. The more unscriptural we become, the more prone we become to being a fool and becoming mad. Prayer should be made for the sick and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit should be allowed to operate.

    HOWEVER, if these manifestations are not in line with the Word of God, then they are false, no matter how dramatic they may be. I will say this in relation to this. Many things that our "minds" receive as "false" are many times from God. We can become so religious that we can miss God in our midst’s. We can become so worried about Satan deceiving us that we no longer believe in God leading us into ALL TRUTH. At the same time, we must pursue truth for it is the TRUTH that sets us free from our delusions and gives us the light in which we walk free of sin and demonic oppression. If the Church does not want Truth, then the Lord will let them have what they want

        We must always be aware that Satan can manifest himself as an angel of light. But if we are pure in our hearts and are pursuing truth the Lord Jesus has promised that the Holy Spirit will lead us into ALL TRUTH and will abide with us with an unction to help us discern truth from error. As we approach this new millennium, it is very important that be done because the powers of the air are seeking to destroy truth in every area of society from the government right on down to our churches.

        Those who don’t know the Holy Spirit intimately and are not sensitive to His moving will be swayed by much that functions as God, looks like God, sounds like God, even so much that it will deceive many, but in reality not be of God. Satan can NEVER be of God.

Our Children Suffer For Our Backslidings – They Are Brought To the Murderer

Hosea 9:13-17 - Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations

        Backsliding into delusion and idolatry carries a horrible price. The Lord told Ephraim that Ephraim’s backslidings would cause his children to be brought forth to the murderer and as a result he himself would be smitten and wander among the nations. He also said that Ephraim would no longer bear fruit or bring forth the beloved fruit of his womb. When you’re backslidden, everything you touch is smitten with a curse. Death follows you until you repent. When you backslide, your life becomes a barren land of disease with no purpose or no light. When you backslide, your children are led to the murderer – Satan. He is the one who steals, kills and destroys. Unless we repent, our children will pay the price for our backslidings. They will grow up a generation that "wanders among the nations."

        It goes without saying that pride always blinds us to our need. Ephraim was perilously close to destruction, yet he said, "I am become rich, I have found me out substance." Those are the words of fools. The Lord told the rich young man that he was a fool the night he died with these same sentiments. He rebuked Laodicea which basically said the exact same thing – "I am rich and increased with goods." Sir, your millions of dollars and closets full of riches will not save you when you die. If you’re backslidden you will spend eternity in hell where the worm dieth not and the fire is never quenched. All your riches can’t buy your way into heaven and it cannot buy your way back to God. You must turn, like Ephraim turned.

        The world does not hold the answer to the backslider’s ills. Salvation is not in the church. Salvation is of the Lord. We can turn people to our doctrines and denominations all we want to but they will still be bound by sin. When they are touched by the power of the Holy Ghost then they are truly free. He whom the Son who sets free is free indeed. The church cannot set anyone free. We must point them to Jesus.

        The church has become deluded in this hour by the reasoning of Freud. We think we can send people to a psychologist and the psychologist can cure their ills. Man’s problem is spiritual in nature and thus a spiritual cure is all that can save man from his depravity. Man is more lost than he’ll ever know and putting a band-aid on cancer will not save our patients in our churches. Only the power of the Holy Ghost will. We must allow the Spirit of the Living God to set men free. The Spirit must convict them of their sin and deliver them.

        God said he would "tear" Ephraim away like a lion "till they acknowledge their offense." Unless we acknowledge the Lord, we are going to be torn away in the coming millennium.

        Jeremiah says that the Lord remembered Ephraim and His bowels were troubled for him. When the backslider turns to God, God’s mercy is waiting for him. If you are reading this and you are away from God, don’t take the mercy of God for granted. He loves you beyond our human comprehension but He will not always strive with man. When God says that’s enough, none of us really know. But it is a dangerous thing to play around with eternity when the Spirit of God is convicting you of sin. Millions are in hell at this moment who spurned the call of the Holy Spirit and refused to turn back to God before it was too late

What Shall We Have to Do Any More With Idols?

Hosea 14:8-9 - Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.

        In closing, we must get to the point Ephraim got to in this passage when he bemoaned himself and said, "what have I to do any more with idols?" When we let go of our worldly ambitions, lusts and desires, the Lord is waiting to restore us like a green fir tree and allow us to become fruitful again. Ephraim said the just shall walk in these things and the prudent shall know them – but the transgressors shall fall therein

The way Ephraim got back to God is the same path we must take:

Take with you words – 14:1 – We must confess our sins with our mouths and admit our wrong

Say unto the Lord, "take away our iniquity." – It’s imperative we confess OUR sins and not the sins of others. The prayer of Ephraim was "take away OUR INIQUITY."

Receive us Graciously – Recognize the grace of God is able to deliver you from sin. Grace is free but it is not cheap nor does it cover UNCONFESSED OR UNREPENTED sin. This is a lie and delusion of the modern evangelical church. God’s grace is sufficient and where sin did abound His grace did much more abound. When we’ve been touched by His grace, we become willing vessels of His grace to others. We cease to become vessels of judgment and accusation.

So Shall we Render the Calves of our Lips – When we return, the Lord will put the sacrifice of praise in our mouth. Cursing and backbiting and hatred will cease to spew from our lips. We will show forth the marvelous works of His grace in our lives through our conversations.

Ashur Shall not Save us – The backslider recognizes the only source of His salvation and hope is the Lord Jesus. The world will not save you. The psychologist will not save you. The preacher will not save you. The pope will not save you. The local Alcoholics Anonymous will not set you free. Only the blood and power of the Lord Jesus Christ will save us.

We Will Not Say to the Works of OUR hands, Ye are our Gods – When the backslider comes home, his allegiances change. He no longer worships the work of his hands. Nothing will satisfy him any longer but spiritual things. The world becomes an anathema to him. Worldly music, worldly events, worldly movies, worldly associations pale in light of the living Savior when we’ve truly been born again. When this happens, the Lord promises these things to the backslider, just as He did Ephraim:

• I will heal their backslidings - Deliverance

• I will love them freely – Peace within the heart and acceptance in the beloved

• Mine anger will be turned away from him - No condemnation

• I will be as the dew unto Israel – A type of the Holy Spirit

• He shall grow as the Lily and as the branch of Lebanon – Character and morality will return

• His branches shall spread – Fruitfulness and prosperity

• His beauty shall be as the olive tree – Another term for fruitfulness

• His shall cast forth his roots as Lebanon and will also smell as Lebanon - Stability

• Those who dwell under his shadow shall return – When a backslider returns, he becomes a reconciler

• They shall revive as the corn - Restoration

• They shall grow as the vine – Spiritual growth

• And his scent shall thereof be as the WINE of Lebanon – His attitude and "scent" will be sweet as the beauty of the Lord Jesus. Arrogance and pride will cease to exist.

Backslider, it's getting late, the way has been made PLAIN to God and you need to come back with ALL your heart, repenting, humbling yourself and throwing yourself on His Mercy, which is Great and unending. Eternity beckons for us all one day and only those whose faith is anchored in CHRIST and HIM CRUCIFIED will make heaven our abode. I pray you know Him today through the power and glory of His sufferings and finished Work on Calvary!