Pastor's Pulpit

The message I preached yesterday was a combination of an outline I found in my files and thoughts that the Lord layed on my heart. It's amazing how the Lord puts together a message that may have been stirred by someone Else's message or an outline that you had for years. Such is the case for this message. I trust it will stir your heart as well.

Leaving some things behind
I kings 19:19-21 Matt. 16:24

When a Christian makes the decision to follow Christ he must leave behind some things that would hinder his growth, his surrender, and the work of God. Elisha could not follow Elijah and take along 12 yoke of oxen. Elisha left all to follow the calling of God.
- Abraham departed from his home in Ur of Chaldees. He couldn't take the land with him. He had to leave it behind.
- Joseph left his coat in the hands of Potiphar's wife.
- Moses according to Heb.11:24-27, forsook the throne of Egypt, left the riches of Pharaoh to bear the reproach of Christ.
- The woman at the well left her water pot and went into the village to tell her friends about the Messiah.
- Paul left his life of religious persecution and became one that was persecuted that he might serve Christ.
The life of Christian service is the greatest calling of all. If God has called you into His service, realize it is a high calling and wonderful privilege. There are some who are called to serve full-time, to leave everything to serve the Lord. If that is true in your life, don't stoop to anything less. Every Christian is called to serve in some capacity through our local churches. He saved us to serve, Amen?
Now, there are some things that we cannot take with us on this journey in service to Christ. We will have to leave behind some things that we might want to hold on to. Like Elisha, we need to turn loose of these things and let them go. If we take them with us, we will become bogged down and we could even be rendered useless to God. When God calls us, there are some things we must leave behind.

I. We must leave sin behind.
( Heb. 12:1 ) " Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, "
Christ died for our sins. Jesus defeated sin on the cross. ( Rom. 5:19 ) Satan has no claim on any person that has placed their trust and soul in the hands of the Saviour.
Satan will try to cast doubt in the mind of the Christian as to whether God really has forgiven all our sins. Dear child of God, let me remind you of the good Word of God. Get it settled. You have no reason to doubt or fear about your salvation. All you have to do is believe on Jesus, leave the work of salvation to Him.
" Gone, gone, gone; yes, my sins are gone! - where?
They are buried in the deepest part of the sea. ( Micah 7:19 )
They are farther than the east is from the west, ( Ps.103:12 )
You will never have to answer for your sin. That is in the hands of Christ. He took your sin. It has been eternally dealt with and no longer exists in your life.
He has forgotten your sin. ( Jer. 31:34 )
It doesn't mean we are sinless, we still have a sin nature to deal with. We are not perfect, as Christians we still can sin. The sooner you realize that, you will be happy.
There are sins of omission, not doing things we should do. We need to cast off these sins. Sins of unfaithfulness, not giving, not praying, unforgiveness, sins of omission.
There are sins of commission. Doing those things that we should not do. Sins of the flesh, anger, malice, pride, lust - we cannot continue to commit these sins and expect God to bless us. Don't let these things defeat you. Leave them behind, and go on for God. Leave behind those things that so easily beset you, leave behind the doubts - don't let Satan keep coming up to you and confusing you with this lie, that you are not saved. Claim Rom. 10:13, claim II Cor. 5:17, claim I John 1:9, claim Heb. 12:2, claim I John 5:11-13. You have to leave your sins behind.

II. We must leave the Sensual behind.
( James 3:15 ) " This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish."
The word sensual has to do with earthly, natural, carnal. Col, 3:1-2, " If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. "
Elisha left everything behind. When he offered his oxen and the instruments, that was all he had. He had no way of earning his upkeep. He surrendered all to God. Elisha broke all ties with home.
When we get saved, we must break all ties with our sinful-fleshly ways.
- we can't continue to go where we use to go, and do the things we use to do. The Spirit of God in us has made a change. ( Rom. 8:5-8 ) Look at vs. 8, " So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. " We must leave the sensual behind. We can't search for a " city whose builder and maker is God " and stay in Ur of the Chaldees. We have to leave the water pot, we have to leave the old lifestyle, the beggarly elements that would continue to hinder us in our walk with God.
( Rom. 8:9-11 ) " But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. " You will never get on the spiritual level God wants you on if you live in the flesh. You will have to leave behind some things that do not honor and glorify the Lord. Some things as simple as - the dirty soap opera's you women watch, or the nighttime TV you men watch, or the rock music you young people listen to. If we continue to serve the flesh and live in the flesh, we cannot please Him. That is why I will not let any carnal, fleshly, worldly rock music or contemporary music in the church. It is sensual, fleshly, and we must leave the world behind. Take up the cross and follow Jesus.

III. We must leave self behind.
Paul said in I Cor. 15:31, "...I die daily..." he was talking about the crucified life. Paul learned to die to self. Many Christians try to serve God, but they drag the old self around and he is suppose to be crucified, buried with Christ. In what ways do we keep self around?
1. Selfish habits, habits of the way we do things, habits that will hinder the work of God. Are there some selfish habits that are hindering you today?
2. Habits of laziness, that keep you from being what God wants you to be. Elisha was working when he was called. He wasn't reading, or sleeping in on Sunday morning. He was busy and God called him. God doesn't use lazy people. I don't want anything to hinder my relationship with God. I want to get so close to God that He hears everything I say to Him. I want God's will to become so dominating in my life until I can't think or desire anything else. I want the same for you. The only way that will happen for any of us is to leave behind the things that will slow us down and get in our way. We must leave behind those things even selfish pleasures, there may not be anything wrong with them, but if it hinders my service to God, I must leave it behind.

IV. We must leave Sensitivity behind.
( Eph. 4:30-32 ) Bitterness, anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice... being over sensitive. It means, to be easily disturbed." We've got to get over some of this stuff in our churches, in our lives. We're suppose to be Christians. Doctors say much of the illnesses today come from bitterness. Holding a grudge, you say, " Bro. Johnny, you don't know what they did to me. " It doesn't matter. You must be like Stephen and say, " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. " Jesus said, " Father, forgive them..." One doctor told a certain patient, that her problem was not what she was eating, but what was eating her.
Don't be like Naomi - who was known for being pleasant, happy - but became Mara- bitter.
Naomi got acquainted with Boaz, who is a picture of Jesus Christ and her bitterness left. Ruth, her daughter-in-law married Boaz.
There are people in and out of church today, that will not lift a finger and get active for God because some where along the way they got hurt and they quit on God. ( Ps. 119:165 ) " Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. " In Eph. 4:30, the Bible says we grieve the Holy Spirit and so there is no power, no movement, nothing happening in our lives or in our churches. Why? Because we are too sensitive, too selfish, to sensual, and we are playing around with sin. We need to leave some things behind. What do you need to leave behind today? God wants to work in your life. Will you let Him? Will you surrender all to Him today? Will you give up some things for Him? Leave your sin and come to Jesus Christ today.

Bro. Taylor