The Disadvantages of

Backsliding:
Lessons from the Life of
Solomon
 What is backsliding?
1. Continued willful disobedience of the Lord
I Kings 11:10-11 Although he had forbidden
Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not
keep the LORD's command. So the LORD said
to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and
you have not kept my covenant and my
decrees, which I commanded you, I will most
certainly tear the kingdom away from you and
give it to one of your subordinates.
 I Kings 11:1-2
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign
women besides Pharaoh's daughter-- Moabites,
Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and
Hittites.They were from nations about which the
LORD had told the Israelites, "You must not
intermarry with them, because they will surely
turn your hearts after their gods." Nevertheless,
Solomon held fast to them in love.
2. Turning of the heart away from God and following other
gods

I Kings 11:4-6
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other
gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD
his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and
Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.
So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not
follow the LORD completely, as David his father had
done.
3. Loss of relationship with the Lord Rev
3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in and eat
with him, and he with me.
4. “Sleeping” in the Lord
Rev 3:2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains
and is about to die, for I have not found
your deeds complete in the sight of my
God
5. Lukewarmness Rev 3:15-16 I know your
deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I
wish you were either one or the other!So,
because you are lukewarm-- neither hot
nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my
mouth.
 The Disadvantages of Backsliding
• Far-reaching consequences of sin
Because of Solomon the kingdom of Israel was divided

IKings 11:11-13
So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude
and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees,
which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the
kingdom away from you and give it to one of your
subordinates.Nevertheless, for the sake of David your
father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it
out of the hand of your son.Yet I will not tear the whole
kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the
sake of David my servant and for the sake of
Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
Solomon loved the Lord at first
David named him Jedidiah (beloved of the
Lord)
There was a time Solomon was so in love
with the Lord, he wrote Song of Songs
He pleased the Lord when he asked for
wisdom instead of riches
He was so full of wisdom
 The Disadvantages of Backsliding
2. You can lead many people astray.
Solomon-led an entire nation astray
Solomon started Baal worship in Israel, he even built
high places for the idols
IKing 11:7-9
On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for
Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech
the detestable god of the Ammonites.He did the same
for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and
offered sacrifices to their gods.The LORD became
angry with Solomon because his heart had turned
away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had
appeared to him twice.
3. You end up neurotic and depressed and cynical
– read the book of Ecclesiastes, which Solomon
wrote

“The Neurosis of Disobedience”-you know the

truth, you have known the truth, but you don’t
follow it; you make excuses for your behavior,
you deny God, you deny His existence, His
word. But deep inside you know you are wrong.
4. Nature never forgives
Sexual sin leads to sexually transmitted disease, viral infections, bacterial
infections, parasitic infections, fungal infections
1 Cor 6:18-20
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body,
but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you,
whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Drugs-damage brain cells

Nicotine- damage blood vessels and cause blockage in blood vessels
Alcohol- damages liver cells
Anger, bitterness- increases cortisol, depresses immune system, causes
autoimmune disease
Cancer- starts from one cell that mutates and never dies
Life Application:
• Follow God because you love Him.
• Love the Lord with all your heart.
• Don’t turn away from God.
• Don’t follow other gods.
• Don’t compromise.
• Don’t let people lead you astray.
"Heart Back"
One thing I want, I want is my heart back
One thing I need, I need is to know that
First love I lost, I lost now way back
Some time ago, I don’t know, it’s just like that
I don’t remember, how lost this first love
I got so busy, I lost my intimacy with Love
I got so busy, where is He, I don’t know Love
God’s love, but I forget and I don’t know why?
I remember those days, when I was sky high
I used to pray, everyday, and it felt so right
But now, I don’t even know where my love went
I need a miracle, man I need a God sent
Angel, to come down and rescue me
From this mess I made, man, this catastrophe
Help me God, I need to get back right with you
I want my heart again, to run hard after You!
One thing I seek, I want to get my heart back
One thing I ask, I ask for that ancient path
Back to the path, the path that I used to know
Down on my face, going down that glory road
Where your glory and Your presence used to
touch me
Where your power and Your fire used to burn
me
You keep telling me, calling me, come back
Return to Me, come to Me, get your heart back
I don’t know, where I’ll go, where I’m
gonna be
I don’t know, all I know, is that I want to
see
The light again, all I want to be is Your
friend
Oh God, come back, this can’t be the end
I just want to be, right here, with You
In your presence, in your essence, just
me-You
Life is beautiful, when I’m here, with You
It’s true, eternal life is knowing You
Knowing You, I wouldn’t trade it for
anything
I’m the Bride, You’re the Christ, here’s my
wedding ring
You’re all I want, all I need, you’re
everything…
Jesus Christ, right here, You’re everything!
Put yo hands in the air, get a soul clap
Come on everybody, uh, get your heart
back
If you lost your first love, and you know dat

Right here, right now, get your heart back