Scr: I. Timothy 1:19
The popular show "Gulligan" featured seven castaways who boarded a small sailing ship that got caught up in a storm and landed far off-shore on an unheard of Island. Many visitors would by-pass this Island for a short time and meet up with the Island castaways only to escape without rescueing them.
I. WHAT IS A CASTAWAY ?
> A castaway is someone who has been cast aside.
> God's desire for every believer is that they become a useable vessel for
his service.
> There are vessels to honour and their are vessels to dishonour
> The more a believer grows and develops spiritually the more useful they
become.
> Sin defames the believer and renders them unusable for the Lord.
> When a believer is in this unusable condition the only way back to
becoming usable for the Lord again is to repent of those dis-abling sins
and confess the blood for clensing thus restoring fellowship with God and
a return to the path of spiritual development.
> Spiritually a Castaway is a Believer who has become unusable for the Lords
service
> Sad to say because of indifference, carnality, and worldliness many of God's
people who sit in good solid Bible Preaching churches are Castaways
II. THE DANGER OF BEING A CASTAWAY
> The danger of being a castaway is to never get rescued.
> To go beyond the point of restoration
> Many who have gotton away from the Lord and have become unusable
never make it back to the place of restoration and usefulness for the
Lord ever again.
> Its a very dangerous thing to get wrong with God, Some become a
Castaway because of Carelessness. Just letting the spiritual wellbeing
of their lives kind of exist. It's like planting a garden and never tending
to it again. Left of its own weeds will get in. Some people get so
distant on God that they never are able to get back to the place where
they once were for the Lord.
> One other thing that leads people to become a castaway is procrastination.
They know they are wrong with God but won't get things made right.
They let day after day go by without getting right.
> We are not guarenteed another chance. Our lives may be cut short.
What a tradgedy to die being wrong with God.
"Its appointed unto man once to live but AFTER THIS the Judgement."
III. HOW TO PREVENT BEING A CASTAWAY
> Sail on Sure Waters---Don't get caught far from shore. Stay close to God
Cultivate a close interactive relationship with the Lord. Cause it to
bother you if you go long periods without fellowshiping with the Lord
> Keep your Instruments Operational--- Keep the Lines open with the Lord,
Stay sharp spiritually, Keep your nose in your bible, feed the spirit
> Inform and Interact with others of like faith-----The devil would love to get
you alone and mess with your mind. Don't give the devil the luxury of it,
stay in church and let others know where you are spiritually.....BE HONEST
--Find yourself a godly brother or sister in Christ for whom you can
confide.
*That ship that sails and nobody knows where if lost at sea they would
have no idea where to look for it.
> If you find yourself afar off re-direct the ship pointing it back in the right
direction------All of us are going either closer or farther from the Lord and
being what he'd have us to be.
CONCLUSION:
Where are you at spiritually in your life ? More importantly is your life where it should be spiritually or have you let some things slip in that would endanger your usefulness for the Lord. You be the Judge is there anything causing you problems from being a zealous christian fervantly serving the Lord ? If so would you spend some time at the Alter before the Lord and get things resoved with the Lord. DONT BECOME A CASTAWAY UNUSABLE FOR THE LORDS WORK !!!!
by: BROTHER BILL SCHALK
