Shammah Temple Fellowship: Sermon of July 21, 2024
By Pastor Alexis Muzuri
Theme: What can prevent Believers from backsliding?
Reference scriptures: Hebrews 2: 1-4
In our daily life, students go to school, all of them expecting to succeed and move into the next class. However, not everyone makes it to the very end. Some fail due to different circumstances. Spiritually, we accepted to follow God and He wants all of us to just be in His way. Unfortunately, some Believers do not follow God’s directives to grow and make it to the place where God wants them to be. It’s either moving forward or backsliding; there’s no between the two.
But how can Believers avoid backsliding?
- Believers can avoid backsliding by paying attention to details of their faith
These Jews had believed in Jesus and followed His salvation. Here, they were being warned against backsliding. The main reason for their backsliding was that they had stopped valuing what they valued when they met Jesus.
“For this reason, we must pay much closer attention than ever to the things that we have heard, so we do not drift away from truth” (Hebrews 2:1).
They needed to go back to the foundations of their faith, but let their attachment to Moses or the priests go. They needed to accept and believe that Jesus was above all they valued in different ways. Through the Mosaic law and the work of the priests, sins were covered. However, through Jesus, sins were taken away forever.
The writer of the book of Hebrews is telling where they faulted, especially through rejecting the initial word of God they had heard in the beginning of their spiritual journey.
“For if the message given through angels was authentic and unalterable, and every violation and disobedient act received an appropriate penalty” (Hebrews 2:2).
- Believers can avoid backsliding by checking the gifts of the God’s Spirit
Human beings tend to easily forget things, but when it comes to the life of faith, signs and wonders, and any other manifestation initially when they received Jesus are of a great importance.
Consistently checking those signs is a great thing to do in our daily lives. What changed from Day 1 of receiving the Holy Spirit?
“God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will” (Hebrews 2:4).
In short, as Believers, we can avoid backsliding by paying close attention to our faith, by taking our salvation seriously and guard it jealously, and by consistently checking the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
