Avoiding Quicksand

Pastor Cory Herthel

Midland SDA Church

September 12, 2015

Key Texts: Colossians 3:1-4; Philippians 4:6-9; 2 Peter 2; 2 Peter 3:13-18; 1 John 2:15-17; Revelation 3:11-12

SOP Reference: The Sanctified Life, pg. 11-12

Introduction: Quicksand is simply regular sand that has been soaked with water to the point that it becomes a thick, muddy pool, which cannot support weight…Quicksand is a hidden danger in the woods, ready to suck you in and hold you tight. While drowning in quicksand is not as common as Hollywood makes it out to be, it still creates dangers such as dehydration, sunstroke, hypothermia, and drowning as the tide returns. It can also leave you unable to fend off hungry predators. These are enough reasons to learn how to avoid and escape from quicksand…If you lie still in quicksand, you will not sink. Your body is less dense than quicksand, causing you to rise to the top. But if you struggle, you will displace the sand/water beneath you, causing you to be pulled deeper and deeper…The first step to saving yourself from quicksand, like most dangers, is prevention. If you find yourself in unfamiliar territory or known quicksand spots, carry a thick walking stick. Test any questionable areas. Do not walk in large muddy sections of ground if it can be avoided. (holistic survival website)

I. Not Getting Caught

  A. Where to put your mind (Colossians 3:1-4)

    1. Paul admonishes us to look in the right place (v. 1)

      a. Avoid fanciful ideologies

      b. Reject contradicting theories & theology

    2. Look above, not beneath (v. 2)

      a. The wisdom of this world is passing away

      b. The wisdom of God is eternal

    3.  Death to self means death to the mindset that leads to eternal death (v. 3)

    4. With out minds secure in Him, we have the guarantee of rescue

  B. Avoiding Quicksand (Philippians 4:6-9)

    1. Think & dwell on things that genuinely reflect the nature and character of God (v. 6-8)

    2. Follow wholesome examples that uplift God and His Word. (v. 9)

II. Identifying the Trap

  A. False Ideology & Theory will rise up inside (2 Peter 2:1-3)

  B. Their method is sensationalism (2 Peter 2:18-22)

    1. They use empty words (v. 18)

      a. Empty Promises

      b. Void of truth

      c. Satan uses this device to pull down those who’ve escaped

    2. Re-entering the trap is worse if you’ve already escaped (v. 19-22) (Hebrews 10:26)

      a. Similar to Nazism

      b. Giving up freedom in the name of liberty (oxy-moron)

  C. Be Diligent (2 Peter 3:13-18)

  D. Do Not Love the World or Its Ideas! (1 John 2:15-17)

    1. Stand steadfast in the simple truths of God’s Word

    2. Hold fast to what you have (in Christ) that no one steals your crown (Revelation 3:11-12)

SOP: Self-denial, self-sacrifice, benevolence, kindness, love, patience, fortitude, and Christian trust are the daily fruits borne by those who are truly connected with God. Their acts may not be published to the world, but they themselves are daily wrestling with evil, and gaining precious victories over temptation and wrong…We feel sad to see professed Christians led astray by the false and bewitching theory that they are perfect, because it is so difficult to undeceive them and lead them into the right path. They have sought to make the exterior fair and pleasing, while the inward adorning, the meekness and lowliness of Christ, is wanting. The testing time will come to all, when the hopes of many who have for years thought themselves secure, will be seen to be without foundation. When in new positions, under varied circumstances, some who have seemed to be pillars in the house of God reveal only rotten timber beneath the paint and varnish. But the humble in heart, who have daily felt the importance of riveting their souls to the eternal Rock, will stand unmoved amid the tempests of trial, because they trusted not to themselves. “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his” (2 Timothy 2:19).