Bible Lesson: Cherished Promises To
The Child Of God: To The Backslider Who Has Returned.
Bible Text:
Jeremiah 3:22,23 :NLT
22 “My
wayward children,” says The Lord, “come back to Me, and I will
heal your wayward hearts.” “Yes, we’re coming,” the people
reply, “for you are The Lord our God.
23 Our worship
of idols on the hills and our religious orgies on the mountains are a
delusion. Only in The Lord our God will Israel ever find salvation.
The Lord's Request:
“My
wayward children,” says The Lord, “come back to Me
The Lord's Promise:
I will heal
your wayward hearts.”
A Story Of A Backslider:
Luke 15:11-24
KJV
11 And He said,
A certain man had two sons:
12 And the
younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of
goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13 And not many
days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his
journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with
riotous living.
14 And when he
had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began
to be in want.
15 And he went
and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into
his fields to feed swine.
16 And he would
fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and
no man gave unto him.
17 And when he
came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have
bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
18 I will arise
and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned
against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no
more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired
servants.
20 And he
arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his
neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son
said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy
sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the
father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on
him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring
hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my
son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they
began to be merry.
In Luke 11, Jesus
tells this story, following the stories of the lost sheep, and the
lost coin. His point being, how great the joy is when one, confesses
his sins, and turns to The Lord, with all his heart.
In this story, how
The Father, lovingly, longingly looked day after day for his
wandering son to return home.
And when he did
return, did the father great him with accusations of wrong doing, or
anger?
No, he...”had
compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” vs20
In Returning To The Lord, First Must
Come Confession Of Sin:
II Chronicles 7:14 KJV
If My people,
which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and
seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin..."
Proverbs 28:13
KJV
He that
covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and
forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Psalm 51:1-12 KJV (King David's confession of sin, and prayer
for forgiveness.)
1 Have mercy
upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the
multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me
thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I
acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against
thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when
thou judgest.
5 Behold, I was
shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou
desirest Truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt
make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with
hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than
snow.
8 Make me to
hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may
rejoice.
9 Hide thy face
from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
10 Create in me
a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not
away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore unto
me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit.
The Word:
Hosea 14:1-4 NLT
1 Return, O
Israel (The people of God),
to The Lord your God, for your sins have brought you down.
2 Bring your
confessions, and return to The Lord. Say to Him, “Forgive
all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer you our
praises.
3 Assyria
cannot save us, nor can our warhorses. Never again will we say to the
idols we have made, ‘You are our gods.’ No, in you alone do the
orphans find mercy.”
4 The Lord
says, “Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; My love will
know no bounds, for My anger will be gone forever.
Micah 7:18,19
NLT
18 Where is
another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the
remnant, overlooking the sins of His special people?You will not stay
angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing
unfailing love.
19 Once again
you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins
under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
Galatians 6:1,2
NLT
1 Dear brothers
and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are
godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right
path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
2 Share each
other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
John 6:37 KJV
All that The
Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will
in no wise cast out.
I John 2:1,2 KJV
1 My little
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any
man sin, we have an Advocate with The Father, Jesus Christ The
Righteous:
2 And He is the
propitiation (sacrifice)
for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world.
To the prodigal son today, our Lord yet speaks...
Isaiah 44:22 KJV
I have blotted
out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins:
return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee.
Jeremiah 31:3
KJV
The Lord hath
appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I
drawn thee.
Prayer:
Nehemiah 9:17 KJV
"...but thou art a God ready to
pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great
kindness..."
Psalm 86:5 KJV
For thou, Lord,
art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them
that call upon thee.
II Corinthians
6:2 NLT
For God says,
“At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I
helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day
of salvation.
