Unmoveable

[0:00] We're going to go to Acts chapter 20 and at our recent fellowship meetings one of the messages that really spoke to me was from this text it was about how Paul said none of these things move me.

[0:17] ! None of these things move me. Paul was talking about how resolute his stand was despite much that was against him. Acts 20 verse 17 it reads and from Miletus he Paul sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church and when they were come to him he said unto them you know that from the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I have been with you at all seasons serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many seers and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.

[0:55] And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

[1:12] Verse 22 And now behold I go bound in the Spirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall befall me there save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

[1:28] But none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

[1:45] In verse 10 it says that he had humility of mind and many tears. We're going to focus on the thought really in this verse verse 24 none of these things move me.

[2:05] So the Lord's revealed to Paul how he's going to face some things. He's talking about bonds or chains and afflictions.

[2:15] He knew that he was going to be imprisoned. He was going to be tested. He was going to face suffering. And even though Paul is unsure what his future holds he's confident about the one who holds his future.

[2:29] And that's true for you and me isn't it? We don't know what the future holds but if we're saved we do know the one who holds the future. And Paul was steadfast here. He says none none of these things all of these things that were ahead of him and what the Holy Spirit had told him was going to face him.

[2:46] He says none none of these things move me. Paul was steadfast here. He's running a race here. He has a course to run. And there was a stickability here about Paul.

[2:57] What about us? What about us? It's important that we stay the course. It's the running race. It's the long distance event. It's the marathon. We must stay the course that we finish strong.

[3:10] Will you live for Jesus? Will you live the life? I put to you that there's some people getting moved. In not so good a way.

[3:22] In not so good a way. People getting moved. They're shifting. Sliding. Quitting. I would urge you to quit being a quitter. Some things would be good to quit from.

[3:34] To quit of. But some people are quitting things that they shouldn't quit from. Some people are quitting on their marriages. People are quitting on church. They've been moved. We're called to be unmovable.

[3:47] Unmovable. None. None of these things. None of these things move me. It's like these familiar words in 1 Corinthians 15. 58. Paul exhorts the Corinthians.

[3:57] He says. Therefore my beloved brethren. Be ye steadfast. Unmovable. Always abounding in. The work of the Lord. For as much as you know that.

[4:09] Your labour is not in vain. In the Lord. He's saying this. Be steadfast. Be unmovable. So my theme here tonight. Is talking about how we can be moved.

[4:19] And how we oughtn't to be moved. How are we in this area? Are we steadfast? Unmovable? It's like we need to put some anchors down. We need to get some stability.

[4:30] Some spiritual stability. We need to stop the slip, slip, sliding away. And that's what the devil wants for you. He wants you to be a slip slider. He wants you to drift.

[4:42] To drift off. To drift off course. He wants you to swirl around in the confusion and busyness of life. God's not the author of that confusion. The devil wants you to have no compass.

[4:53] To have no rock. To have no anchor. To have no firmness. I heard a moving sermon one day from an evangelist years back. And the text that they used was Genesis 49 verse 4 in part.

[5:08] And I heard this moving sermon from this brother. And it was about a man called Reuben. And one of the things it says about Reuben is, You are unstable as water.

[5:20] Thou shalt not excel. He's talking about someone who's like water sloshing around in a bucket. That's the kind of picture here of this man Reuben.

[5:31] Unstable as water. Thou shalt not excel. How sad if it was said of us that we were unstable as water. Sadly, some believers are just like that.

[5:44] They're unstable as water. No substance. No standing. Just sloshing around like water in a bucket. What about you and me? God doesn't want you sloshing around unstable like water in a bucket.

[5:57] He wants you to be steadfast. He wants you to be rock solid. Unmovable. Unmovable. Are we such or are we easily moved? How's our faith level? Faith ought to be our foundation.

[6:10] It's like this picture of an anchor as it says elsewhere. The anchor of our soul. It says Colossians 1 verse 23. Paul tells the Colossians, If you continue in the faith, grounded and settled and be not moved away.

[6:24] Don't be moved away. Moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye have heard and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven.

[6:34] Whereof I, Paul, am made a minister. Look at these words. God says we should be grounded. Our faith should be strong. It should be grounded. It should be settled. We shouldn't be moved away from the hope of the gospel.

[6:48] It seems to me, and I'm talking quite honestly here tonight, as I've seen over time, I kind of keep, I'm meant to be watching over the flock and I see who's here and who's not here.

[6:59] And it seems sadly to me that for some, they moved away. They moved away. Moved away from the hope of the gospel. They're not grounded. They lack assurance of salvation because of false teaching.

[7:11] I've seen people like that. They've gone to multiple meetings and when you really talk to them, they don't have an assurance of salvation. And they're tuning into this preacher and that preacher.

[7:22] They doubt their salvation. They have no anchor. There's no anchor there. There's no certainty to their faith. It's all shifting, shifting sands. God says it's by grace through faith.

[7:36] It's that simple. It's the simple gospel. But some people are putting forward other gospels. There's lots of other gospels out there on the internet. You can tune into this gospel and that gospel and no wonder there's confusion.

[7:49] It's like Paul warned the Galatians in Galatians 1 verse 6, talking about moving again. Paul tells the Galatians, he says, Some people are put to you, they're being moved away, moved to another gospel.

[8:11] Of course, we know you've got people that knock on your doors, very well-dressed chaps, sometimes with an American accent or who knows what, and they present another testament, another testament of Jesus Christ, received from an angel from heaven.

[8:26] It sounds just like the false gospel that Paul warns about in Galatians. Some are being moved to another gospel. It's a works-based gospel. One thing that's very popular through a lot of the internet preachers these days is the lordship salvation idea.

[8:44] Lordship salvation. They're confusing salvation and sanctification. It's about human performance or efforts. And some are brought into some kind of sensual gospel, some feeling-centered gospel.

[8:58] You know, they get these warm and fuzzies, the goosebumps, and they think that's the gospel. Some have been misled by false ideas like sinless perfection, sinless perfection, or some strange twisted variant, some extreme Calvinism.

[9:13] And here they are. They're living in this constant state of not knowing that they're saved. What a state to be in. They've heard the gospel. They've heard how to be saved. But there's this uncertainty.

[9:24] They don't know that they're saved. They must persevere, persevere, persevere, to their dying day, to their dying day, to their deathbed. And somehow, then somehow, somehow they can find salvation.

[9:39] But for the present, somehow they're not sure of it. They cannot have an assurance. There's no surety. There's no sureness there. They cannot claim their saviour by faith. They can't say, I'm saved by the grace of God, by faith, by the blood of Jesus.

[9:53] They can't say that. They've got to wait until their last breath to be sure that they've persevered long enough. But that's not how it works.

[10:05] We can have assurance. We can have an assurance now, now, today, and forever, as we call upon his name. Yet they cannot say that they are saved. Not that we would say so presumptuously, but we would say so based on the promises of God.

[10:20] If you believe, you're saved. He that believeth in me has everlasting life. We can say that. I know I'm saved because I believe. I've trusted him. And then there's the madness on the other end of the scale, the Arminian Gospel.

[10:35] The Arminian Gospel that says that the salvation that they have today, they can lose tomorrow. Maybe they can get it back. They get saved, unsaved, saved again.

[10:48] Madness. The Bible doesn't teach that. So basically, they have to keep on this treadmill of their good works to maintain their salvation. That's no salvation at all because it's by grace through faith.

[11:01] Salvation is present tense assurance. I often see folk like that. They have no security. There's no stability there. They don't know that they have salvation or they think somehow they're going to lose it.

[11:13] They look somehow to works or to fruit or to some man-made evidence. But our salvation is not based on us showing some evidence. Our salvation is based on the evidence that Christ has finished the work.

[11:26] Our salvation must rest entirely, entirely upon the finished work of Christ, that everything was done at Calvary's Hill for our salvation. And we can assuredly know, we can assuredly know today that we have everlasting life.

[11:43] So great a salvation, we can have it as a possession. By God's grace, as a gift received, we can know we're saved. Some folk are moved away to another gospel.

[11:56] Some folk are moved by the troubles of this life as well. There's lots of people getting moved. Moved by affliction. For example, Paul tells us that no man should be moved by their afflictions.

[12:08] For you yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. Paul's telling here the church at Thessalonica not to be moved by afflictions. Now we've all got afflictions, haven't we? While we're living in this flesh, Paul says they are of God.

[12:22] Paul says our afflictions are by his appointment. It's not very pleasant having an affliction. I know you can identify, we all can. Some people are more afflicted than others.

[12:34] But the Bible says we're appointed unto affliction. There's some afflictions that's by his hand that we receive it. But some people are moved by afflictions.

[12:44] There's people that get moved by setbacks. Something happens, you know, the curveball comes and, oh, I'm just going to stay home, not go to church anymore.

[12:55] I'm going to, you know, slack off on my faith. Some people are moved by setbacks. But we're called to perseverance, brothers and sisters. We're called to fortitude, to long-suffering.

[13:07] The Christian life is going to mean a cross to carry. It's going to mean that discipleship. It's going to mean that walk with him. But some don't have the perseverance. You know, there is a perseverance of the saints in the sense that we're meant to persevere.

[13:22] But we're not persevering in the sense of some not possessing of salvation. It's a persevering that, as saved people, God helps us to undergo testing and get through and find God's grace.

[13:38] And we can't persevere as God's people. We're meant to persevere. Here's a little story. There was an insurance man and he caught at an office one day. He was selling insurance.

[13:49] And he knocked on the door and he said to the reception, I'd like to see the president of your company. And the secretary buzzed the president's office and said, an insurance man wants to see you.

[14:01] And the president said, I do not have time. And so the insurance man left. And then for the next six days, he went to the same office. He knocked on the door and each time the secretary would buzz the president and he would say the same things.

[14:15] I don't have time to see him. And they'd send him away. However, the insurance man went back the seventh time and the president of the company consented to see him. He went in and he gave his presentation and the president bought a large policy.

[14:31] He thanked him. And he began, as the insurance rep walked out, the president called to him. He stopped him and he said, you're a lucky man. I've turned six insurance men away this week.

[14:43] And the young man said, yes, I know. I am all six. But you were too busy to see. He just kept going. He kept persevering till he got the sale. And, you know, this is obviously a worldly example, but there's a sense where we should have a bit of determination, shouldn't we?

[14:58] A bit of courage, a bit of persevering. The ones who get the job done are not the quitters, but the ones who persevere. We've got to persevere.

[15:08] We've got to be in for the long haul. Some salespeople make one call and they quit. Some make two calls and they quit. Some make three calls and quit. Some keep on persisting and they reckon that these salespeople get 78% of the business.

[15:24] And it's, of course, that's a totally worldly example, but what about spiritually? How easily do we quit? How easily do we, when we get a knockback and when we're witnessing, you know, we get, it's 99% of doors get slammed on us or we get rejected.

[15:41] It would be easy to quit and to say, oh, it's too hard going door knocking. But it's that one, that one out of a hundred that will hear the gospel. It's those ones that, that will have an open ear and God gives them an open heart that they can receive the word of God.

[15:56] And it's worth it. It's worth the hard yakka. It's worth copying the rejections. It's worth getting the knockbacks. What about us spiritually? Are we easily moved? Are we easily deterred?

[16:09] Are we easily disappointed? I think if we were honest, we'd have to say that we give up too easily. We give up too easily. If the world leads salespeople, can go and knock on doors.

[16:20] That's what I think because I think I'm going, we're part of the door knocking team and one of my jobs years ago was going canvassing for roof insulation, whatever it was called, warm and cozy or something.

[16:34] And I was the canvasser to get the leads for the salespeople. And I think, well, if I can knock on doors and do cold calling for some worldly secular purpose, surely I can knock on doors for my Lord and tell of the grace of God, tell of the glorious gospel of his salvation.

[16:51] But we can be such that we give up too easily. It's hard work going door knocking. I know there's some in our number who are coming and it's easy to get discouraged.

[17:04] Take heart today. Don't be discouraged. Be encouraged to press on regardless. Paul knew many tears, many trials it says there in Acts 20, but he did not just preach this perseverance, this keep on keeping on.

[17:21] He practiced it and he faced all kinds of difficulties. He says, none of these things move me. None of these things move me. But none of these things move me, neither count on my life, dear, unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

[17:41] In the previous verse, Paul talks about chains, of bonds, of afflictions. That was the norm for Paul. Paul's saying here that he's ready to bear the cost. Notice he's saying he's sold out to testify in the gospel.

[17:55] He's unstoppable. I started off by saying a lot of people are getting moved. What about you? What is hindering you?

[18:06] What is stopping you? What is moving you? Keep steady. Keep steadfast, brother, sister. We want to finish well. Finish with joy. This course set before us.

[18:19] Sure, there's some challenges. Yes, people will try to move you. When you walk the Christian walk, Nehemiah had his Tobias ensemble out. People that just wanted to bag what he was doing.

[18:31] People that just wanted a character assassinate. People that wanted to speak evil, to speak against the brethren, to sow discord.

[18:42] There was much opposition. Nehemiah had many obstacles. Paul faced many trials and tests, but he was faithful to the finish. To the finish line. And friends, brothers, sister here tonight, the finishing line is closer for us every day, isn't it?

[18:58] Are you going to be moved? Or are you going to be unmovable? Some people are moved by disappointments. You know, we all have hurts. We could take a hurt and it could penetrate us deep within.

[19:10] A deep bruising where we get hurt. And we could think, it's too hard, it hurts too much. Some people are moved by their doubts, by fears. Don't let discouragement move you.

[19:22] Don't let misunderstandings move you. Paul was steady. He was serving in Acts 20 in the context he talks about humility. He talks about tears. He talks about many trials.

[19:35] What did he exhort? The early believers. Here's a good one. Acts 14, 22. Here's the sermon subject of Paul.

[19:46] Confirming the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to continue in the faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

[19:58] Is the church going to go through the tribulation? It says we should be going through it right now. Isn't it? Of course, I'm saying this tongue-in-cheek. We could talk about the subject of the great tribulation and such things.

[20:12] But this is talking here about everyday tribulation. And yes, brother. Yes, sister. The church is going to go through this. Much, much tribulation. We should get ready for some tribulation.

[20:24] Honestly, I think we've all gotten an idea that Christianity is one without test or challenge. It's all easy breezy. That's a concept that's foreign to the New Testament church.

[20:37] Paul says, get ready. There's going to be much tribulation for you. Of course, he's talking about the persecution of the day. But truly, for you and me, there's persecution for us.

[20:49] Maybe not in that measure. But how easily do we give up? How easily do we get hurt? How easily do we get disappointed and discouraged?

[21:02] A young man asked a professional ice skater, how did you ever learn to skate like that? And the skater said, I learnt to skate like that because every time I fell down, I got back up.

[21:14] What about you and me and your Christian walk when something goes against you, when you have some tough things happen, when discouragement comes? It's about time we got toughened up to face some tribulation, to get ready for some obstacles and get through them by the grace of God.

[21:30] We need to have a muscular Christianity. It seems in some circles it's an effeminate Christianity, not putting females down, but there's that sense where we get in touch with our feminine side and the songs are all kind of soppy, kind of love songs, the muscular Christianity of the faith of our fathers that is going to go through the fire and the test.

[21:53] We need to man up. That's the kind of faith that we need to get some muscular Christianity. We need to be ready to face whatever lies ahead and we need to brace ourselves.

[22:04] Much tribulation. Too many have settled for a weak, namby-pamby kind of Christianity. Soft and sloppy, effeminate. Look at Paul's credentials.

[22:16] You know, if you were to consider Paul as the minister, if your church was looking for a minister, look at Paul's credentials. Look at his CV, his qualifications for ministry.

[22:28] He says, talking of others, are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more. In labours, more abundant. In stripes above measure. He's talking about getting the thrashing of a whip on his back and the stripes of the blood cut into his back.

[22:45] These channels of blood that were cut into his back by the persecutor's whip. He says in stripes above measure. He talks about in prisons more frequent.

[22:56] In deaths, after he got close to death's door. Numbers of times. Verse 24, of the Jews five times, received I forty stripes, save one. So again, the thrashing of the lashes on his back.

[23:09] It says, verse 25, thrice was I beaten with rods. Once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I have been in the deep. So these are the examples of what Paul's been through.

[23:21] Verse 26, in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren.

[23:38] Even in the churches, there was false brethren that were dangerous people. Verse 27, in weariness and painfulness in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

[23:53] Besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Just look at all the obstacles and dangers that Paul faced, that Paul overcame.

[24:06] What about you and me? Can we be like Paul in that regard that we'll go through some things? We'll be willing to go through the hard yards, some perils, some weariness, some watchings, some hunger and thirst.

[24:20] What have we got in Australia? Honestly, I mean, someone said this morning I looked a bit slimmer, I don't know if they commented about this jacket or someone said it's the stripe on the shirt and makes me look thinner, but I haven't had too many fastings so I've got to be honest.

[24:37] Maybe that's what I need. Or maybe it was Rommie's tie this morning that you gave me. you know, there's needs for hunger and thirst, there's fastings, and fastings often, you know, going without food, in sleepless nights, this idea of watchings, in cold and nakedness.

[24:53] And what have we to talk about of any sufferings in Australia? We get too much food, don't we? Amen. You know, we take the photos on Facebook of our meals, but we don't even take a photo of our fastings.

[25:08] You know, but we need to think about these things, don't we? In fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Think about brothers and sisters. Paul says he was always to get ready for labours more abundant, labours more abundant.

[25:25] Amen. Are we ready? Are we ready? Will we be moved? Think about it, friends. I'm trying to get this point across that some people are so easily swayed.

[25:37] Some people are getting moved away from biblical truths, from godly convictions, veering off into questionable practices. Paul was a man who could not be moved.

[25:49] He couldn't be moved. All of those dangers that he talks about, Acts 20, verse 22, he knew what he was facing in Jerusalem. He talks about trouble was going to befall him.

[25:59] He talked about, in these verses we just read, all this physical suffering. He talked about, in Romans 9 and 10, of rejection by the people of Israel. This man, this master of the Bible, this well qualified man, Paul, now rejected from his own people, a Hebrew of the Hebrews.

[26:19] He loved the Jewish people enough to go to hell for them, but they rejected him. And then he was rejected by fellow labourers. Demas hath forsaken me. He's loved this present world.

[26:31] And then you got this one here in 2 Timothy 4. He says, no man stood with me. All the saints in Asia turned against Paul, all of his fellow workers.

[26:41] He says, all men forsook me. He knew what it was to suffer, to be rejected, to suffer hurt. Think of the CV of Paul. And Paul tells of much afflictions, of long suffering.

[26:55] Now we talked this morning, we're toying with the idea of some kind of Bible school, like a Bible institute, where we go through some doctrines of the Bible, some kind of curriculum. We might have some resources from overseas we can tap into and work through some basic Bible doctrine.

[27:11] Here's Paul's Bible school curriculum. Okay, 2 Corinthians 6. He says, get ready for some things. This is the training course of the early church. He says, in all things of proving ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfamed.

[27:43] Look at all those things. That's the curriculum, if you like. And then he goes on, verse 7, he says, Paul was accused of being a deceiver.

[28:07] Look at Paul's subjects at his Bible school. Afflictions, distresses, imprisonments, tumults, or I guess that's riots, isn't it?

[28:19] Like labours. And he has classes about testing out the armour of God. A bit of a practical session, maybe wielding the sword.

[28:30] And he says he's got evil reports, he's got lots of things that are against him. Elsewhere he talks about a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan. It says it buffeted him.

[28:41] The word buffeted means beating with the fists, is the sense of it. He had this thorn that was beating him with the fists. It was black and blue. That's 2 Corinthians 12, 7.

[28:52] So in all of this that we face, we have hope. We can have hope. Even though we might go through somewhat of what Paul went through, we can have deep joy despite our circumstance.

[29:04] We can have an endurance through trials. And we call to that. We can have an attitude of thanksgiving, even in the most trying of times. Friends, tonight I urge you, let's not settle for a sloppy, soft, namby-pamby kind of Christianity.

[29:21] Let's get ready for some testing. People, we've got to toughen up. We've got to get ready for some tough times, tougher times, and we can maintain our integrity.

[29:32] Paul says all of this that he's gone through is par for the course. And he says none of these things move me. None of these things. We can be unshakable even when others are faltering and fading.

[29:46] We can have a boldness that doesn't flag. We can be unwavering in a world full of doubters and deniers. We can be strong in a world where many weaken and wilt. We can go against the flow and be different, be separate.

[29:59] We don't have to go with the flow. We can swim against the tide. We can live righteously, soberly, and godly. We can persist in prayer and hold on to God. We can be patient with people in our lives.

[30:12] We can demonstrate love and grace. And the character of Christ towards others. And yet, I have to be honest with you. Some people I know have been moved.

[30:27] They're not where they used to be. They've gone backwards. The Bible talks about backsliding. Backsliding. Backsliding is just that. It's a slide.

[30:39] slow and subtle. A downward slope. They've fallen from grace in the sense that they've gone away from where they could be.

[30:51] Slip sliding down the slippery slope. Is that you tonight? You've moved. Galatians 5, 7. Paul says, you did run well. Who did hinder you?

[31:02] Who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth? What went wrong? You were running so well. But now you're not where you used to be. You've gone backwards.

[31:14] What went wrong? In the context here, Paul talks about a little leaven. Something small. Something small. It wrecked everything. Ruined everything.

[31:25] A little leaven, a little yeast makes the whole batch rise. It's the little foxes that spoil the vines. Something small, maybe insignificant. Bit by bit, you slip slided backwards.

[31:39] What has hindered you? What's retarded? Your growth. And look, I'm talking to me too. Friends, chances are I know for me that I am my own worst enemy.

[31:51] Who can identify with that? But there is hope. There is hope for us. There's hope for you. There's hope for me. If you slipped, you can return. The word of God promises if we're a backslider, we can return.

[32:06] But think about it. Have you moved? Is your job stopping you from fellowshipping? Some people I'm almost praying that they lose that job, that they're working on a Sunday. Amen?

[32:16] Lose that job. No one present here because the son that make the effort even though they do work on a Sunday. But God helping you, is there a different job you can take? For some of us we can't.

[32:28] And you're ministering, you're serving on a Sunday, please don't take me the wrong way. But there's some people it's like, oh I'll take the Sunday shift. They don't need to but they take it. You know the nine to five, the five day a week, they'll say I'll work Saturday, I'll work Sunday, they're hungry for the overtime.

[32:43] But it's stopping them from fellowshipping. They could say no I won't take that shift if they had the option, but they do. If your job is stopping you from fellowshipping, then change jobs.

[32:56] How can you be effective for Christ if you're not fellowshipping? How can you serve? You can't if you're not here. Some people are moved, they're moved by materialism, moved by the flesh.

[33:07] Some people are moved by worldly movies. They get more emotional watching a worldly movie. They've stopped trembling at this book, but they'll tremble at the scary movie or they'll laugh at the scary, the happy movie.

[33:21] They get moved by the worldly movie, but God stopped moving them. Something's gone wrong. The word of God doesn't move them like it used to. Something's wrong. We should tremble at the word, but instead we're laughing and crying because of some worldly movie, some tearjerker.

[33:38] It's easy done, isn't it? You can even get tearful watching a cartoon, can't you? Because they craft it so. But shouldn't we be moved by the word of God?

[33:49] That's what should move us. We should be moved to serve God, but we've stopped hearing his voice. The word doesn't move us in God's direction anymore. There's a reception problem, too much static, too much interference that we can't hear his voice.

[34:05] We should be moved to obey God, but instead we deny his presence in our lives. Some are moved by the rock beat, but they're not moved on by the call of God.

[34:18] Some are moved by the world and its magnetic pull, but they're not yielding to the spirit of God. What about you? Friends, it's a serious question, isn't it?

[34:29] Have you got moved? Who's moving you? What we truly need is a move of God, don't we? A move of God, a real move of God. The Bible talks about a falling away.

[34:41] Of course, some of these are in the context of a later time, but we could think of some of the truth of it in the present time. And Paul exhorts that you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled, neither by the spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

[34:58] Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come except the comer falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. There's a warning here of a time to come when there will be a falling away.

[35:13] I believe people have fallen away. I think there's a falling away happening right now, don't you? There's a falling away happening, maybe not this one, but there is a falling away of sorts happening already.

[35:27] And there's some people who have gotten shaken in their mind. They've moved away from the truth of the word of God. They've moved away from fellowship. I believe we are in a time of falling away.

[35:38] Maybe not this one, but I really do think there's some falling away. It's easy to fall away. There's hope for you dear backslider here tonight. The Bible says return, return.

[35:51] Return unto the Lord is what it says. That's the kind of move that we need to make, to return unto the Lord, to draw near to God and he will draw near to us.

[36:02] But some people are being shaken. There's a lot of shaking, there's a lot of moving. The devil wants to move people away from God. Here's another one, Luke 21, of course in the end time context, but tells of people here, man's heart's failing them for fear, looking after those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

[36:26] There's got to be a whole lot of shaking one day. I think there's a bit of shaking even now. There's some shaking going on. We see some of the stories of danger, of war, of world war.

[36:38] Some people are being shaken, shaken by fear, the fear of men, such that they stop talking about the gospel because they fear man too much. Men's hearts are failing now.

[36:51] Some people have gotten moved, moved by the world, shaken by world events. We know there's all talks of viruses and COVID and whatnot. Some people are getting all worked up about that.

[37:02] Some people are working too much, but they don't have time for God. Let me be real with you. And look, I can identify as a younger man, I think I had about four or five jobs at the same time as a younger man for a time when things were tough, I had to earn to cover needs.

[37:19] But there's some people, they're working multiple jobs, working day after day, they're crowding out God. Crowding out God. We can make that mistake. Sure, provide for your family that's right and proper, but some are working such that there's no time for God in their life.

[37:36] There's no time for God. God is crowded out of their life. They should be here tonight, but they're not. Why? I'm too tired, too distracted.

[37:50] Why are they not here? The people that need to hear this, maybe some of them are tuning in here tonight over online, speaking to you, that are not here. But that's not to condemn, honestly.

[38:05] But there's some who could be here tonight that are not here. I'm too tired, I've been working too hard, too busy, this and that. Why are they not here? Because they have moved, not geographically, but spiritually.

[38:20] They've moved away from God. And that's a terrible condition to be in. The Bible tells us draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. But they have been moved by the world.

[38:31] By some excuse, some may be more excusable than others, but honestly, what matters? What really matters? They've been moved by the world.

[38:43] Some people have been moved, moved by every wind of doctrine. There's another one, Ephesians 4, Paul warns that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men, by the cunning of craftiness, whereby they're lying in wait to the scene.

[39:02] Friends, there's some people that have been moved from this church into some poor choice. Some have been moved by the madness of the modern tongues movement.

[39:16] I've been there, done that. I know what it tastes like. And it's blah! There's one old time preacher who said it's the last vomit of Satan. Talking about the Azusa Street revival, so called.

[39:29] The modern tongues movement is a vile stench in the nostrils of God. Some have been moved by that. It's winds of doctrine. Every wind of doctrine.

[39:41] The Bible tells about the moving of landmarks. Landmarks are getting moved. Historic Christianity is getting lost in many church circles. Other things have moved in.

[39:52] Women preachers, rock bands, whatever it takes pragmatically to draw a crowd. There's been a lot of movement due to the wind direction.

[40:02] The wind direction. The devil likes to move people with such winds. Winds are false doctrine. And surely we need doctrine. As our preacher said this morning, we need doctrine, sound doctrine.

[40:14] That's why we want to have some doctrine in our Bible training, our Bible schooling. People have been moved away from sound doctrine. People have been moved by persecution and they shut their mouths in disobedience to God.

[40:27] Oh, it's a bit scary going witnessing. Man up! Some have been moved by criticism. Now they do nothing.

[40:39] Look, I could, as a preacher, I am often criticised and sometimes fairly. I'll acknowledge that. Preachers should cop some criticism on the chin when it's called for.

[40:51] But some take criticism and now they do nothing. Oh, that hurt. It was a bit personal. It's more comfortable to do nothing. Just withdraw.

[41:02] Just step back. Oh, I'm not going to touch it. I'm not going to do anything for God. I think some of you have been sitting on seats too long when you could be doing something. You could be doing something.

[41:15] Now they do nothing. It's more comfortable there. But we're not exhorted to a comfortable Christianity. Don't move there. We're exhorted to take up the cross, our cross, daily.

[41:27] We've lost something, people. We've lost something. Something precious. And sometimes it's easy to follow the multitude. Exodus 23. I know I'm hop, skipping and jumping here.

[41:38] These are all passages here and there. But the theme is about being moved. And who are we being moved by? Who are we being moved along with? There's a sense where some have been moved such that they'll follow the crowd.

[41:50] They'll just go with the flow. Some pastors say that, go with the flow or go. We want to be in the right flow, don't we? We want to be, this is the flow that we want, not what the latest bandwagon is or rubbish from some church growth mantra.

[42:10] But the word of God warns us, don't follow the multitude, don't follow the crowd to do evil. Some have been moved. They've been stopped being a witness, they've moved with the crowd.

[42:20] It's easier to just clam up, to zip up, to not say anything about our Christianity. And now they move with the wrong crowd. They go with the popular crowd. They go with the godless. How can I urge you here tonight to think about where are you in this journey?

[42:37] Are you unmovable? Are you unstoppable? Or have you moved? moved? The Bible talks about being planted. Psalm 1, read the whole psalm, but in part here, verse 3, it tells of the godly man, he shall be like a tree, planted, planted by the rivers of water.

[42:58] That bringeth forth his fruit and his season, his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. It talks about a man that's planted like a tree. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of seeing people getting moved, moving backwards.

[43:17] As a pastor, I keep track of attendance. I see when people are here, when they're not here. I try to record that, not to brag about numbers, but to know who's not here, to know who might need some follow-up, to see who might need some support.

[43:30] Why are they not here? Maybe they need some care. I want to give that, God helping me. But there's hundreds of them, literally. I'm sick of people getting moved, moving backwards such that they're not even fellowshipping consistently.

[43:44] Where are they? Is the job so important, is the income so important that you can't spare just an hour to come and worship? They've lost the zeal that they once knew.

[43:57] I'm praying for them. I'm praying for you. I'm praying for you that are not here. Honestly, I'm praying for you that you get that zeal back. They've lost the zeal that they once knew.

[44:07] People, we can all be like that. Some people wonder why they are not getting filled with the word of God. It's a hunger problem. It's a hunger problem. Their lives are not getting filled with righteousness because they need to get hungry.

[44:22] We should be hungry for the word, shouldn't we? Such that we want to be filled. Our Lord says, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.

[44:33] Now when I say some of these things I think, oh I'm being a bit too hard, I'm being a bit too forceful, I'm being a bit too somewhat say legalistic, whatever. I'm just saying what it says.

[44:44] Don't be moved. Don't be moved. Stay unmovable. Be unmovable. Take it seriously. Take up your cross. We should have a masculine Christianity. Unless you're hungry and thirst, you're going to go hungry.

[45:00] You will not be filled. There's people that could be here and fellowship, but something else takes the place of fellowship.

[45:11] You can return. Return unto the Lord. You might say, preacher, this is hitting home. This is hitting me. This is hurting me. Return.

[45:22] Return to the Lord. Return. your backsliding children. And I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God. Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God.

[45:37] He's gracious. He's tender. He's full of compassion. He's the healer of the broken in heart. He binds up our wounds. He wants to heal the backslidings. I think of loved ones of mine.

[45:48] I think of family members of mine. They're backsliding. They're not where they're meant to be. They're not where they should be. They're not where they once were. They've moved. They've shifted.

[45:59] They've turned their back on God, on truth, on the Bible. I'm praying for them. I'm praying for my children. It grieves my heart that they're not where they should be. And I feel responsible in part.

[46:13] But the word of God is such that he appeals. Return. Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal. I will heal your backslidings. Friends, hunger and thirst.

[46:25] You're going to go hungry unless you do. Be in fellowship when you can, whenever you can, however you can. Sometimes you might have to catch up online. There's that providence now that we can do so.

[46:37] But I urge you tonight, I pray that it's not been too heavy or hard, but that it is healing. Sometimes we've got to be cut. The word of God pricks the heart.

[46:49] They were cut to the heart. The word of God is a two edged sword. Sometimes it's like that scalpel, isn't it? Oh, oh, ouch. They've got to get that cancer out, whatever it is.

[47:02] God help us. Let's pray. God God, God, God, we thank you. You're tender and compassionate. You don't put us under a yoke of bondage. We know there's some people that cannot be here for good reason.

[47:16] And yet, Lord, we know there's times we could fellowship. Help us, Lord, to set a priority that way, that we will not slope slide away. God, help us.

[47:28] We pray for those that are not here tonight, that could be here, that you'd work on their hearts, do a work. Help them to give up that Sunday work if they can, to refuse that shift, if they can, refuse it.

[47:40] Lord, that they'll bear with it if they're working shift work, they'll toughen up and they'll man up and they'll fellowship, even when they're feeling tired, because fellowship matters.

[47:51] Fellowship matters. Lord, we know it's going to help us grow. The word of God matters. We should hunger and thirst for it. We should want it, want it more than anything else that we will help us to be such a people.

[48:05] We pray that we'll be unmovable, we'll be steadfast, we'll be such that we'll be like Paul, none of these things, none of these things are going to move me, whether it be affliction, whether it be false gospels, whether it be the persecution or testings of life, tribulation, Lord, we'll have the grace to go through whatever life throws our pathway, Lord.

[48:29] Help us to be such a people, resting in your promises, trusting in your grace, finding your help, if it be affliction, if it be some testing, some tribulation, help us, Lord, to be that resource that we need, and help us to be grounded, planted, unmovable, help us to put our anchor down, to stop drifting with the tide, to stop being swept around by the diverse winds of doctrine, and to say, I'm going to be settled, I'm going to be unmovable, I'm going to be steadfast by your grace.

[49:02] Lord, we pray if there's any that are here tonight, they've yet to trust you, they've yet to even be saved, they're still wondering if they are saved, that they can know by faith tonight, I trust you, I trust you as my saviour, my lord, your forgiveness, your healing from my sin, your grace to save me, to give that gift that is a forever gift that you give to us, the gift of your salvation, such that we know that we have it, and we know that you're not going to take it away, and we can't lose it, but by your grace you've given it.

[49:38] Lord, we pray each one might have that assurance here tonight, and help us to walk in your spirit, such that we'll finish our course, we'll be like Paul, we won't count our life dear to us, we know we've got a course, we've got a running race to run, we've got a finishing line yet ahead, we're not going to be stopping any time soon, we're going to keep on running until the finish line, and we're going to see your face, but we pray each one will be encouraged in that walk with you, help us Lord, if there's any back sliding here tonight, if there's any that feel like, yeah, I feel like I've been slipping, slipping, drifting, moving, Lord, turn us around, those that are in that state tonight, that will make some decisions, yes, I'm going to return unto you, return unto you, heal my backslidings, as your word promises you do, Lord, I pray, touch every life, every family here tonight, that will be stirred up in a good way, stirred up, provoked unto love, and to good works, in Jesus' name,

[50:40] Amen.