Sunday, December 27, 2015 pm
WHEN APOSTASY IS A
DANGER TO THE CHURCH
In
Acts 20:29-30 as Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders, he warns them,
“For I know this that after my departure savage wolves will come in among
you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up,
speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”
In this text Paul is concerned that things might occur that would cause
the church at Ephesus to apostatize or be damaged.
That concern for apostasy has not changed.
So with that in mind, as we are considering our lives as
Christians (i.e. resolutions), and as we consider the direction we are
headed as the Lord’s church, let us take a few moments to remind
ourselves of some things that can cause the church to apostatize.
Apostatize means a falling away from or abandoning of one’s faith.
It is a concern to individuals about which we are warned in
scripture. But it is also a
concern to churches. History
is filled with apostasy away from the truth.
Even in our generation we see brethren drifting away from the
truth. So what are some of
the factors that can lead to apostasy?
a.
The Bible is God’s
source to inoculate us against error.
When we quit studying His word, danger is always near.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 reminds us that His word can make us complete,
thoroughly furnished unto every good work.
b.
Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” was the cry of the
prophet as he rebuked the priests for their failure to adequately teach
the people.
Later in Malachi 2:7-8, the priests were are chastised saying, “For
the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the
law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But
you have departed from the way; You have caused many to stumble at the
law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” Says the Lord of hosts.
c.
Proverbs 10:21, “The
lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom.”
d.
2 Tim. 4:2-4 also
reminds us of why one needs to preach “the whole counsel of God.”
There are those who do not want the whole truth, but rather they
seek a watered down gospel.
e.
There are many churches
where a study of God’s word has become secondary to the teachings of men
– whether it be stories or studying men’s philosophies (with a touch of
scripture) – the whole truth is being hidden.
Others neglect portions of God’s
word, often the part that is needed the most. In Acts 20:32, Paul said,
“So now, brethren, I commend you
to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and
give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
f.
In these passages and
many others, we can how a failure to study the Bible leads to apostasy.
a.
One reason a lack of
Bible study leads to apostasy is because we are not adequately equipped
to identify and deal with error.
Many fall away to error because they don’t know what it is or how
to identify it.
b.
In our text (Acts
20:29-30) Paul warned of wolves entering in and devouring the flock.
He also entrusted the elders on that occasion to watch out to
strive to prevent it from happening.
c.
In Ephesians 4:11-16 we
find that God has given us leaders to help ground us in the faith so
that we will not be “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of
deceitful plotting.”
Ephesians 5:15-17 – calls for us to walk circumspectly, using our time
wisely because the days are evil.
He then commands us, “Therefore
do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
d.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
speaks of the lawless one coming who will deceive those perishing, “because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be
saved.”
e.
We HAVE TO be able to
identify error if we are going to avoid apostasy.
1 John 4:1 calls for us to “test the spirits” because many false
prophets have gone out into the world.
1 Thessalonians 5:21
says, “Test all things; hold fast what is good. “
HOW can we do this, if we don’t know what error is?
f.
This is more than simply
knowing the word of God, rather it is also knowing HOW to use His word
to deal with error.
Colossians 2:8 warns, “Beware lest
anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the
tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and
not according to Christ.”
a.
Some years after Paul
wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, the book of Revelation is addressed
to that church along with others in Asia.
Revelation 2:2-6 describes this church.
One of the faults of the church was they had left their first
love. What this means is
that their fervor for Christ was not as great as before.
b.
Often times when our
zeal begins to fade, we become relaxed and let up a little in every area
(our work, worship, striving to learn [our teaching become repetitious
and routine]). It is at that
time that we can become vulnerable to apostasy.
c.
That is why we must
continually strive for excellence (hence our lessons these past few
months) in all that we do.
Hebrews 10:24 calls for us to consider one another in order to STIR UP
love and good works.
2 Peter 1:13 (& 3:1) explains why he wrote that letter – to stir them up
by reminding them.
a.
Our goal as the Lord’s
church should never be to compete with the world.
Yet there are many churches that seek to do that very thing.
When one competes with the world, it is only a matter of time
before compromise sets in.
And that WILL lead to apostasy.
b.
A study of the history
of Israel shows the danger of this – they demanded a king (1 Samuel
8:19-20) to be like the nations around them.
It was their king who led them into apostasy against God and
eventually into captivity.
c.
In scripture we are
described as different – Titus 2:14 speaks of Christ giving Himself for
us to create His own special people.
1 Peter 2:9 speaks of you being a chosen generation…His own
special people.
d.
We are to come out from
among them and be separate (2 Cor. 6:17).
Romans 12:2 – tells us to be transformed
e.
Both as individuals, and
as the church we ought to stand out in such a way that He is seen in us,
more than the world. When we
blur that line, apostasy in close by.
a.
1 Peter 5:8 reminds us
to be sober and vigilant.
Satan is ready to devour us if we are not paying attention.
b.
In 2 Corinthians 2:11
Paul warned us to not be ignorant of His devices.
c.
When we are not paying
attention all sorts of things happen.
It is possible that in such circumstances that we will be led
astray. That is
why we are told in 1 Peter 5:9 to resist him steadfast in the faith.
d.
Hebrews 2:1 warns us to
give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift
away. Often error doesn’t
happen overnight. It comes
gradually, like one drifting at sea who doesn’t realize the anchor has
come loose.
e.
2 Corinthians 13:5 –
tells us to examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith.
f.
It is also easy for a
church to become complacent and let down its guard.
Consider the church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:17-19) – they thought all
was well, but they were despised by God.
Similarly, the church at Sadris thought they were fine, but in God’s
eyes they were close to dead (Rev. 3:1-2).
Such attitudes tend toward apostasy if not addressed.
g.
1 Corinthians 16:13, “Watch,
stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”