Textual Sermons: 2 Timothy 4:1-5 - Steps toward Apostasy

Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Steps toward Apostasy

Intro.
1. Satan never leaves Christians alone (Rev. 12:17; 2 Cor. 10:3-5).

2. This is a personal battle; God is with us in the battle & we need not surrender, yet some do, Eph. 6:10-13; Rom. 8:37-39.

3. Apostasy (aphistemi): lit., a standing away from (apo, from + histemi, to stand).

a. apostasia, “a falling away, defection” (Thayer, 67), 2 Ths. 2:3.

b. aphistemi, “To depart, go away from…apostatise” (Moulton, 62).

4. Apostasy is defection from…

a. The word of God, Lk. 8:13.

b. The faith, 1 Tim. 4:1.

c. God, Heb. 3:12.

5. History of mankind has been a history of falling away from God:

a. Adam & Eve: Departed from God’s perfect order of things.

b. Sons of God (Gen. 6:1-5): Defected from godliness (Gen. 4:26).

c. Nation of Israel: Many instances of apostasy (Judges; Division of kingdom; Remnant returned & fell…).

d. Not surprised to see Christ’s disciples warned against apostasy, Matt. 10:22; 24:12-13; 1 Cor. 10:12; Rev. 2:4-5.

6. Development of apostasy & its prevention (*).

I. HOW APOSTASY DEVELOPS, 2 Tim. 4:1-4.

A. First Step: A Wrong Attitude toward Truth, 4:3. (Prov. 4:23; 23:7)

1. “Will not endure sound doctrine.” (cf. Psa. 119:140)

a. “The time will come” implies it was not always so.

b. Does not use the word now to “reprove, rebuke, exhort” (4:2).

2. When the Christian gives heed to other messages, 1 Tim. 4:1-2.

3. Complacency, compromise, convenience & shame toward the word of God – heart is being prepared to fall away (Heb. 3:12-13).

4. Prevention: Seek truth, welcome truth & use truth, 1 Ths. 2:12.

B. Second Step: Becoming Comfortable with Error, 4:3.

1. “According to their own desires.”

a. Lustful cravings choke the word of God, Mk. 4:18-19; Jas. 4:1-4 (1 Jno. 2:15-17).

b. When love for truth is abandoned, selfish lusts prevail.

2. Point of digression in Judah, Jer. 5:30-31.

3. Want to hear only what pleases; 4:3; cf. King Ahab’s 400 false prophets & Micaiah, 1 Kgs. 22:5-8, 22.

4. They were bearing with false teachers; Paul rebuked their comfort with error, 2 Cor. 11:4.

5. Such comfort will cause us to be lost, Eph. 5:8-13 (2 Jno. 9-11).

6. Prevention: Instead of being comfortable with sin & error, we must contend for the faith with all humility, Jude 3; Jas. 4:7-10.

C. Third Step: Abandon Truth & Replace it with Error, 4:4.

1. Turn their ears away – To remove, to defect.

2. How do we react when our life disagrees with the word of God:

a. Ignore what we don’t like? (Psa. 32:3)

b. Argue & fight against what God’s word says? (Acts 5:39; 26:14)

c. Falsely accuse the teacher of truth? (Gal. 4:16; 2 Cor. 12:15)

d. Reject the truth as “too hard”? (1 Cor. 10:12-13)

3. Turned aside (ektrepo): Medical term for dislocated limbs; twist out.

a. Picture of one who turns his ear away from listening to the truth & then twists (contorts) his head to listen to error.

b. Dislocated from one’s proper place, cf. Col. 2:18-19.

4. Fables (muthos): “primarily signifies speech, conversation…first syllable from a root mu--, signifying “to close, keep secret, be dumb…a mystery; hence, a story, narrative, fable, fiction” (Vine).

5. Instead of turning away from truth, we must turn aside from “profane & idle babblings” that contradict truth, 1 Tim. 6:20-21.

a. Gospel is not the sophistry of fables, 2 Pet. 1:16.

b. Repeated warnings, 1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4; Tit. 1:14.

6. Prevention: Be watchful, endure & work…keep hearing & heeding all truth (Rom. 10:17; Jno. 8:31-32).

Conclusion

1. Any step toward apostasy is too far! (1 Jno. 2:1)

2. Remedy: immediately repent & do first works (Rev. 2:4-5; Matt. 6:33).

a. Lest hardening sets in & repentance becomes impossible, 1 Tim. 4:2; Heb. 3:13; 6:4-6.

b. Otherwise, urgency to be right with God will be replaced with procrastination & complacency – and spiritual death (Acts 8:20-24).