Come As You Are - Now Matter How Far You’ve Gone
April 10, 2021

Now Matter How Far You’ve Gone

Main Point: Now matter how far you’ve gone, God is lovingly waiting for you to turn back to him.

“You came down on Mount Sinai; you spoke to them from heaven. You gave them regulations and laws that are just and right, and decrees and commands that are good. 14You made known to them your holy Sabbath and gave them commands, decrees and laws through your servant Moses. 15In their hunger you gave them bread from heaven and in their thirst you brought them water from the rock; you told them to go in and take possession of the land you had sworn with uplifted hand to give them. —Nehemiah 9:13-15

Despite God’s history of goodness and faithfulness, some people still walk away from him.

“But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey your commands. 17They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 18even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,’ or when they committed awful blasphemies. —Nehemiah 9:16-18

When we are far from God it is because we have wandered not because he has.

“Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the wilderness. By day the pillar of cloud did not fail to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. 20You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst. 21For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen. —Nehemiah 9:19-21

“But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. 27So you delivered them into the hands of their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies. —Nehemiah 9:26-27

God loves us enough to let us walk away when that is what we choose.

“But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time. —Nehemiah 9:28

God’s love and compassion always win out when we turn back to him.

“You warned them in order to turn them back to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, of which you said, ‘The person who obeys them will live by them.’ Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. 30For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighboring peoples. 31But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God. —Nehemiah 9:29-31

God’s correction and direction are always in our best interest.

“Now therefore, our God, the great God, mighty and awesome, who keeps his covenant of love, do not let all this hardship seem trifling in your eyes—the hardship that has come on us, on our kings and leaders, on our priests and prophets, on our ancestors and all your people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until today. 33In all that has happened to us, you have remained righteous; you have acted faithfully, while we acted wickedly. —Nehemiah 9:32-33

Looking back allows us to see God’s goodness and faithfulness.

Takeaway: The only thing that can stop you from returning to God is your decision to stay far from him.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Have you ever known someone who was walking closely with God at a time, but then made a decision to walk away? Why do you think that happens? Why do you think that God lets us do that?
  2. What does God’s continual love, compassion, and patience with the Israelites tell you about his heart towards Christ-followers now?
  3. Have you ever felt in the moment like God’s correction and direction weren’t in your best interest? Have time and perspective changed that feeling?

Table Discussion Question - When you look back at your life, how can you see God’s goodness and faithfulness? How does that impact your relationship with him today?