Preacher’s Pulpit
Things That Cause Christians To Burn Out On God
TEXT: JOSHUA 1:6
INTRODUCTION:
Notice here God commands Joshua, “Be strong and of a good courage.”
This is not a suggestion. Did you know that as a Christian God commands you to be STRONG.
You have no right to burn out, give up or quit on God!
You have no Scripture to back up an ANNUAL NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!
Many of God’s Children who are in sight of VICTORY in their Christian Life, quit, throw in the towel and become one more unnecessary causality in the Cause of Christ.
Why do People BURN OUT and QUIT ON GOD?
I. IDENTITY CRISIS
2 Cor 5:17..”Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
A. Failure to recognize that since you got SAVED you have become a NEW CREATURE in Christ!
B. You have been washed in the Blood of the Lamb.
C. You are now a Child of God – John 1:12
D. You have all the resources of God that are needed to be victorious.
E. The Number One Reason so many burn out and quit is that FORGET WHO THEY ARE!
2 Pet 1:9..”But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”
II. LACK OF COMMITMENT
I Thess 5:20..”And the very God of peace sanctify you WHOLLY; and I pray God your WHOLE spirit and soul and body be preserved blamless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
A. Commitment, an almost forgotten WORD in the Christian Vocabulary.
B. Yet, Paul says, “…sanctify you wholly; ….you whole spirit and soul and body..blameless…”
C. Today we have soul salvation with daily sinful living.
D. As a Christian you are to be different because of who you represent.
E. Everything and everywhere you go people ought to think better of God because of your COMMITMENT!
III.UNCONFESSED SIN
I John 1:9..”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteosness.”
A. God did not make your shoulders big enough to carry your SIN!
B. That is why Jesus died on the Cross!
C. It may start out as just a little sin in your heart, but if you don’t confess and repent of it it will: discourage and destroy you.
D. You must deal with EVERY SIN as soon as you discover it.
E. One little sin and your heart becomes a cancer that will kill you as a Christian.
IV. DETACHMENT
James 4:8..”Draw nigh to God, and he will draw night unto you…”
A. When you first got SAVED you had sweet fellowship with the Lord.
B. But somewhere along the WAY you began to over-look that Fellowship that kept you close to the Lord.
C. You got DETACHED!
D. Now, you wonder what in the world has happen to your fellowship with God.
E. You see dear friend you are either going forward or backward in you Christian life!
V. LONELINESS
Prov 18:24..”A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly.”
A. You can be very LONELY even in a Crowd.
B. The person who has a lot of friends is a person that shows himself friendly.
C. Don’t ever say, “People are not friendly to me.”
D. What you are saying is, “I am not friendly to people.”
E. When you reach out to people, people will reach out to YOU!
VI. BITTERNESS
Eph 4:31..”Let all BITTERNESS, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, will all malice. (32) And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
A. If you are really serving the Lord some where down the line people will mistreat and disappoint YOU.
B. But you have no right to burn out or quit just because someone’s hurt you!
C. Bitterness, malice and jealousy are CANCERS that will kill you .
D. Stop blaming everyone else for your bitterness.
E. SUCCESS, JOY and HAPPINESS are personal choices you have to make for yourself.
VII. NO VISION
Prov 29:18..”Where there is no vision, the people perish:”
A. There was a time in your FIRST LOVE when you had a vision of accomplishing great things for the Lord.
B. SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER, BUS WORKER, SOUL WINNER, PREACHING, TITHING, ETC.
C. You had a vision of helping build a great work for Christ.
D. But somewhere along the way, you lost your vision.
CONCLUSION:
Now you are ready to quit on your family, quit on you church, quit on your Lord and quit on your own self. Well, don’t quit! Get your eyes fixed on God and determine that you are going to go on because He commanded you to be “strong and of a good courage”
John 6:67..”Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” (68) “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”