 What is a backslider? Well, most likely, not you. A term that comes up often, and there's a reason why it comes up often with certain people. I'll tell you who the certain people are in just a second, but that word is backslider, backslider, or backsliding. What does it mean to backslide? What is a backslider? Well, the truth of the matter is the word is not even found that often in the Bible, except if you use one particular translation, that is the King James Version, possibly the new King James Version. But even in that, the term is only found a few times even in the King James Version. So I want to go to the screen and let's look up all the different times that just in the King James Version that it shows up. Here we have in Jeremiah 3 a couple times, verses 6, verses 8, verses 11, verses 12, verses 14, verses 22. You think we ought to look at Jeremiah 3? We should. Jeremiah 8, Jeremiah 31, Jeremiah 49, and then in Hosea 4, 16, 7, and 14, 4. Now, the reason why that we got to look at those passages, one, they mean something. It's something that God is trying to say that's only found in just those two books, Jeremiah and Hosea. Well, what's going on in those books and why is it that I could say that it's highly unlikely that it's you? Well, backslider or to backslide, it's only applied to one people that is Israel. He calls Israel a faithless nation. Not they ever had faith, but he chose them, took them out of the land of Egypt, brought them into their own land and their hearts have turned away from him. And so let's go look at some of these passages and let's see what's happening. Remember in Jeremiah, Jeremiah is prophesying. He's letting them know you guys are getting ready to go into a foreign land. You're about to be taken out of your land wide because of all of your sin, because of all of your idolatry, because you have abandoned me, even though God himself has not abandoned them. They've abandoned him and they've even forsaken him for other gods, for the Baals and also have disobeyed his commandment for the land Sabbath. And so let's go to Jeremiah chapter 3. Let's start in verse 6. And let's read what it says. He says, Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, have you seen what faithless Israel has done or did? Now, if you notice the word that was used was the word faithless because I had the NESB up there. Let's go back to it and let's kind of switch it around. We're going to spend more time in the King James Version. So let me just go ahead and replace to remove the Hebrew out of the way just for just a second and bring in the King James Version. And so now we see Jeremiah 3.6 of the King James Version says, Has thou seen that which backsliding Israel? So now the word here is backsliding. Well, why is that important? Well, let's go ahead and bring the Hebrew back in. And so let's look at what it says in the Hebrew. The word for backsliding is this word shub. The word for shub in Hebrew, what it means is to turn or to return. And so he says that Israel is a nation that has turned away from him and he's asking to return. And so you're going to see this word or different derivations of it. This word shub is going to be used. And so the Lord has said unto me in the days of Josiah, Has thou seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up in every mountain high under every green tree and there has played the harlot. Let's put it back over to the let's bring the NASB back over just for the ease of reading because those who may not actually read the King James Version, but I want both of them to be up because I want you to see where where the word backsliding comes in. Verse 7 says, I thought after she has done all these things that she will return to me but she did not return and that word that's returned is the Hebrew word that's also used for backsliding turn or return the word shoot. And so as you can see this I want you all to see this as well. The word for that she would return is this Hebrew word here shub to return. So I just want to make that kind of make that clear so you guys can see that. So when we see the word turn or return or backslide or in some cases faithless you'll see this word shoot and there's another word that's also used as well. We'll get to that in just a little bit but I thought that after she had done all these things that she will return to me but she did not and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Now we see that Israel has been divided into two nations. Basically you have the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom. All of this is made of Israel but all of them are going to be taken into captivity. All of them are going to be taken out of the land. Remember Jeremiah is prophesying this is what's going to happen. He's going to prophesy something else very important to Israel in just a little bit. But you've got these false prophets that are coming saying no just as false prophets tend to do to prophesy something good that no we're not going to go into captivity. Guys are going to bless us and take care of us and then Jeremiah says no these are false prophets that want to tell you good things but you're going to this land get comfortable. Mary have children because you're going to be there for a while. How long? Well for 70 years but this is what he's saying and so this is the whole backdrop of what all is happening. Verse 8 and I saw that for all of her adulteries of faithless Israel I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce. Yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear but she went and was a harlot also. So both of them are doing the same thing Israel and Judah because of the likeness of her harlotry she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees yet in spite of her treacherous sister Judah did not return to me. The same word again she did not return to me with all her heart but rather in deception declares the Lord. Now notice what he says verse 11 he says and the Lord said to me faithless Israel now the King James version says backsliding Israel. So faithless or backsliding Israel that is they have no faith it's not that they once had faith and then left the faith no these people here they don't have faith even though God has chosen them but notice what he says faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. So then he says go and proclaim these words toward the North say return faithless Israel backsliding Israel return declares the Lord I will not look upon you in anger for I am gracious declares the Lord I will not be angry forever that is vitally important. Notice what he says only acknowledge your iniquity that you have transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors to strangers under every green tree and you have not obeyed my voice declares the Lord return oh faithless there's a word again oh faithless or backsliding children or sons declares the Lord for I am a master to you and I will take you from one take you take you one from a city and two from a family and I will bring you to Zion. So we see God is declaring to Israel you have turned away from me return the question is what is God going to do with them and then so we can even get a broader understanding of what a backslider is and what is the ultimate will of God towards these backsliders. Now before we go further into Jeremiah I want to read Jeremiah 3 22 noticing what he says so before we leave chapter three let's see what he says in verse 22 he says return oh faithless sons and I will heal your faithless I will heal your backsliding how is he going to do that well that's the interesting part and that's why I can say that there's a future even for the backsliding Israel again notice he's only using this term towards Israel the word backsliding comes up again in the King James version but we'll look at it in the in the sb as well but also the Hebrew this term comes up again in Jeremiah chapter 31 which is vitally important for the nation of Israel notice what he says in verse 22 how long will that go oh backsliding daughter there it is again so oh some versions might even say oh faithless daughter so what is it what's the word the shoes here the Hebrew word they're still used here is the word shoe it is still faithless or backsliding this that what the one that is turned away for the Lord has created a new thing in the earth a woman shall compass a man thus set the Lord of hosts the God of Israel as yet they shall use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof when I shall bring again their captivity the Lord bless thee oh habitation of justice and mountain of holiness now I want you to see where he's going with this because if you're familiar with Jeremiah you know what happens in chapter 31 so let's drop down to verse 27 and notice what he says but hold the days are come have come say at the Lord that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah and what does he call them treacherous deceptive he's called them backsliding he says I will sow with the house of Judah in Israel with the seed of man and with the seed of beast and it shall come to pass that like as I have watched over them to pluck up which he's done and to break down and to throw down and to destroy and to flick so I will watch over them to build and to plant said the Lord here it is and in those days they shall say no more the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on it so now from now on when that day comes you will no longer have to suffer for the sins of your father and notice what he says in verse 31 behold the days come said the Lord that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah and so he's declaring that he's going to have this new covenant with who with Israel so this backsliding nation that's only brought up in Jeremiah 3 Jeremiah 31 Jeremiah 49 only in Jeremiah and in Hosea chapters 4 11 and 14 so this is what God has promised to do with him he's going to give them a new covenant but the problem with Israel is still that their heart is one that is bent towards or turned away that's why he calls them backsliding or backsliders chapter 4 of Hosea notice the thing that Hosea Hosea has been given a wife Gomorrah who is a harlot of all harlots just putting it nicely and she has played adultery again and again and again but God tells him to be married to her because he's showing a picture of what Hosea is doing with his wife is what God is doing with the nation of Israel and notice what he says in chapter 4 starting verse 16 says for Israel slideth back as a backsliding heifer notice what he says Israel has slideth back as a backsliding heifer and notice what he called the the word that's used is a little bit different though the word that's used here is the word sir which is to be stubborn to be rebellious and he calls Israel he calls her a heifer who is rebellious now the word that's used here is a backslider so this is something that they did intentionally so when someone is intentional about their turning away this isn't God speaking about someone who is just made mistakes here and there no these are people who their heart is as if this is bent towards turning away and so and that was why he calls him treacherous so what has God promised to do so we'll leave chapter 4 of Hosea and we'll go to then Hosea 11 now notice what he says in chapter 11 we'll start in verse 7 where it says and my people are bent to backsliding he they are bent to backsliding that is there that's what they want to do that's where their heart desires they are bent to backsliding from me though they called them to the most high none at all would exalt him so Israel will just not do right they are called to do so but they just won't they have this bent this nature this desire to do so but then what does he say in Hosea chapter 14 notice what he says let's start in verse 4 he says I will heal their backsliding that's the same he reward again shubh I will heal their backsliding I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from them I will be as the dew unto Israel he shall grow as a lily and cast forth his roots as Lebanon so what's going to happen is he is going to going to heal them and bring them back so now what is a backslider all of that to make this point what is a backslider backslider is Israel the term that's referred to Israel notice in the New Testament this term not even the king james version shows up in the New Testament and there is a reason why because a backslider is someone who one has no faith and their heart is set on sinning their heart is turned against God they intentionally want to be against God now we see an example of that to people who might call themselves believers but they never were there's no passage in the Bible that says that a believer ever does this he's talking with who intentionally turn away we'll get this term apostasy that is an intentional with drawing away turning away from what they know to be the truth like Israel did to turn away from what they know to be the truth so now notice what God's intention is and what he says and this is why you cannot be a Christian and then backslide even in even using the term if you want to make this term apply to us even even to Israel the New Testament or anyone you cannot be a believer meaning that you have authentically place your faith in Christ he is now your savior the Holy Spirit in your heart it is impossible to backslide why what does God say his remedy is for the backslider or the backsliding nation in Israel in this case he says chapter 36 starting in verse 25 of Ezekiel he says then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you'll be clean and I will cleanse you from all your filth your filthiness and from all your idols moreover I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you new heart so what was Israel's heart problem that their heart was bent towards backsliding their heart was bent towards turning away from God so what does he say he'll do when he puts the spirit in them what will they do he says that I will put my spirit within you and cause you a side that means to make to do to cause to cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinances so matter of fact while we're there let's go to Ezekiel chapter 11 he says the same thing there and he gives even more clarification he says and I will give them one heart and shall put a new spirit within them and I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a new heart of flesh that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances to do to do good to them then they will be my people and I shall be their God so all of that to say this that to be a backslider one you must be Israel two what is he going to do he is going to put his spirit in someone's heart and cause them to walk and they will not turn away as Jeremiah also says in chapter 39 he goes on to say that when he does so that he will be their God that he will never turn away from them nor will they ever turn away from him so it'd be impossible for a believer to have once had the spirit in them then to backslide and turn away so that's why a true Christian could not be one even a Jewish person who places their faith in Christ and becomes a Christian they could not do so also but what does he say for that backsliding nation the only nation that God ever delivered out of a bondage what did he say about them he will take them change their heart and cause them to never turn away again however that has not happened but he will and so to be a backslider the truest definition you must be part of this nation who has in mass turned away from her Messiah but for us it can't happen why because the spirit in us and he will move in us and cause us to walk in his teachings and we will never turn away from him nor will he ever turn away from us isn't that good news