Backward Religion

but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
II Tim 4:2-5 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Backwards religion continues to take man in this disturbing direction. Back Scratching leads to:

IV. Back Glancing: This trait of backwards religion causes you to look and long after the lusts of the flesh. You are not doing it yet, but you are looking and longing after those lusts.
A. Remember Lot’s Wife? Gen 19:26
B. Remember the children of Israel in the wilderness? Numbers 11:5 “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick.” Exodus 16:3 Remembered the flesh pots. Notice fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic, they all have an offensive odor, but they appeal to the flesh!
C. Luke 9:62 “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Back Glancing always leads to backsliding. You begin to remember those past unholy habits, old lusts of the flesh, and before you know it your doing them again and you’ve lost power with God!

V. Backsliding: Forget Christian responsibilities. Forget God who sustains you, Christ who saved you, the church who fellowships with you. Begin plunging back into the depths of sin.
Isaiah 17:10-11 “Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips: In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.”
Neh 10:39 “We will not forsake the house of our God,” but Neh 13:11 “Why is the house of the lord forsaken?” Hebrews 10:25
Backsliding leads to judgment, chastisement, punishment from God. The only way to escape it and get right is by back tracking.

VI. Back Tracking: You come to the gruesome reality that you have lost your power, the personal presence of God through the Spirit, lost the joy of salvation. To regain these you will have to backtrack to where you lost them.
Did you quit visiting? Quit prayer meeting? Quit Bible study? Quit Sunday School, Sunday morning, Sunday night? Did you quit tithing, giving to missions, praying for your church? Did you quit trying to live for God altogether? Did you go back to the things of the flesh? Did you start doing them again?
To get it right you will have to backtrack to the broken promises that you have made. You know those, “I will be a faithful church member.” “I’ll support the missions.” “I’ll do anything Lord, if you...” How many broken promises have we made to God????
Backtracking and repenting