2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

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2 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

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4 James 4:8 (ESV) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

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6 The point of contact with Jesus is everything when it comes to being new in Christ.

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8 The Making of a Backslider:

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10 Hebrews 2:1 (NLT) So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

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12 The Making of a Backslider: 1. Drift.

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14 It is possible to do nothing and something will happen.

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16 Proverbs 22:13 (NLT) The lazy person claims, There s a lion out there! If I go outside, I might be killed!

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18 Proverbs 24:30-34 (NLT) I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

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20 Small compromises expose us to drift.

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22 Hebrews 2:2-3 (NLT) For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?

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24 The Making of a Backslider: 2. Ignoring.

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26 1 Samuel 15:3 (NLT) Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.

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28 1 Samuel 15:13-15 (NLT) When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. May the Lord bless you, he said. I have carried out the Lord s command! Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear? Samuel demanded. It s true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle, Saul admitted. But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.

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30 1 Samuel 15:20-21 (NLT) But I did obey the Lord, Saul insisted. I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.

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32 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (NLT) But Samuel replied, What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.

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34 Jeremiah 48:10 (NASB) Cursed be the one who does the Lord s work negligently,

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36 The Making of a Backslider: 3. Unbelief.

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38 Hebrews 3:12-13 (NLT) Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still today, so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.

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40 The Making of a Backslider: 4. Blatant Disobedience.

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42 Hebrews 4:11b-13 (NLT)...But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

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44 The Making of a Backslider: 5. Hard Heart.

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46 Hebrews 5:11 (NLT) There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don t seem to listen.

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48 Hebrews 3:8, 3:13, 3:15, 4:7

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50 Hebrews 4:7 (NLT) Today when you hear his voice, don t harden your hearts.

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52 Solution: Re-establish your point of contact with Jesus today.

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