Conduct regarding apostasy
Life as the church - Book of 1Timothy • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 1:11:49
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Church Conduct
Church Conduct
Life as the body of Christ, the church we have a manner in which we should conduct ourselves. This morning we are looking at apostasy, it was real then, and it is real today just as prophesy projected.
Paul’s concern about conduct (1Tim3:15)
15 But if I am delayed, I am writing in order that you may know how one must conduct oneself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and mainstay of the truth.
Regarding the church Jesus said would be built (Mt16:18)
The church of the living God is the church that Jesus built, or was going to build on
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Jesus built, established One church that was built on He as the cornerstone, on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. One church that Jesus prayed for unity in.
Jesus prayed for unity of the one body (Jn17:20-23)
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
Paul wrote that the church is one body (Eph4:4-6)
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
So, as we look around this world today why is there so much religious confusion, religious division. Why are there so many churches? when did this happen, how did this happen? What can we do about it today?
(Insert Apostasy picture here)
(Transition) Our text today is one of several by he and others that foretold of the great apostasy to happen within the church.
So this morning I want us to look at scripture together regarding the great apostasy and see the following
The great apostasy foretold
The great apostasy fulfilled
The great apostasy some conclusions
The great apostasy foretold
The great apostasy foretold
In the latter days there was foretold of the apostasy to come. It was penned by inspiration at different times by different people, starting with our passage by Paul.
Foretold by Paul (1Tim4:1-3; 2Tim4:1-4; Act20:27-31; 2The2:1-3)
In warning Timothy
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
3 men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.
A departing of faith
This is not just a departing of a faith, but of the faith (expand)
A giving heed (paying attention) to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons
Deceitful spirits/doctrines of demons (expand; anything other than sound doctrine)
Forbidding to marry; commanding to abstain from certain foods
They were forbidding in marriage due to the belief that Christ’s return was imminent, etc.
And such things are forbidding the eating of certain things even though Jesus Himself declared all things as clean.
Oh, let’s stay in Timothy and see what more Paul had to say, or instructions given after the warnings in (1Tim4)
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
Instructions given
Preach the word
Expand very briefly
Be prepared with great patience and understanding
As Christians we need to be prepared at all times to give an account for our faith.
We need to with God’s word with patience and understanding to reprove, rebuke, and exhort people so to stay to sound doctrine
More warnings given
They will want ears tickled
Getting teachers who will tell them what they want to hear not what they need to hear, they will be led away from sound doctrine
(Transition) this great apostasy was foretold to Timothy but also to the church at Ephesus and Thessalonica by Paul.
Warnings to church at Ephesus (Act20:27-31)
Paul did not shrink from declaring the whole counsel, whole purpose of God, even if it was not a feel good message. He gave strong warnings to the Ephesian elders.
Wolves were coming
Coming from within even drawing disciples away
I was going to just summarize this passage but as I kept looking at it, I cannot do that, is must give it to you.
27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. 28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Warnings to the Thessalonians (2The2:1-3)
A great falling away will come and
A great revealing of the man of sin, son of perdition
Foretold by Peter, Jude and John (2Pt2:1-2, Jude3-4, 1Jn2:18-19)
Peter warned of the false teachers to come
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
Jude warned that they were already there
3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
4 For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
John said there were many, antichrists
18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
Yep there is proof we are living in the last days (last hour). Jesus warned of false prophets too
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
(Transition) Then there is the next point
The great apostasy fulfilled
The great apostasy fulfilled
Apostasy does not happen suddenly, it happens slowly over time. Let’s expand on this.
It was a gradual process, leading to errors for organization of the Church Jesus built
Resulting in loss of independent congregations that were autonomous to a collective under one bishop vs. local plurality of elders (Act15:23, 20:17, 28: 1Pt5:1-2; Act20:30)
some started innocently dealing with issues in and out side of the church like in 1Cor5-6 (adultery, law suits)
Then there was the leading to the centralizing of the church, the changing of the orginazation of the the church away from under the leadership of a plurality of elders.
23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
and then
1 Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
Paul warned about the influence the one
30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Things such as Paul was addressing to Timothy as we mentioned and read earlier
Forbidding marriage
Abstaining from certain foods
Then other things over time happen too
Baptism by immersion then became acceptable under new definition to be by pouring or sprinkling
From instrument of our heart and lips to mechanical instruments of music.
Others changes that happen over time.
The birth of the Roman Catholic church, Greek orthodox church, etc
Then the birth of the multitude of what are the Protestant denominations and the non-denominations denominations.
(transition) don’t think it did not impact the Lord’s church, the one church Jesus built, there has been some gate rattling but it stands firm today, but many have left it just as prophesied. Consider these things
The true church holds true still today
It continues unabated (Mt16:18; Dan2:44; Lk1:32-33)
18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
The gates of Hades will not overpower it (the church)
44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.
The kingdom that was established will never be destroyed.
32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
His kingdom will have no end. This is the kingdom (church) that Jesus proclaimed, that the was birthed on Pentecost was proclaimed and foundation laid by the apostles and the prophets and we are a part of today.
Whereas there would be challenges to the faithful, those who came against the apostles authority and pattern. Those claiming supposed authority over the Lord’s flock.
God still have a faithful group, just as today.
The church relies on the incorruptible seed (1Pt1:22-25)
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off, 25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you.
Born again of imperishable seed, through the enduring word that endures forever!
This is the Lord’s church, He adds, we care for (Act2:38-41, 47)
We cannot save anyone, the Lord does; we are stewards of the word, of the gospel and the gospel is the power of God unto salvation according to (Rom1:16-17) but it is the Lord that adds.
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
The promised, the available salvation was made available as of Pentecost to all who would believe and repent. As many as the Lord calls, and He calls through the Word. through the gospel and those who received (accepted) the Word were obedient and were added to the numbers
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
We do not want to be an apostate church nor does the Lord want us to be so we need to listen and adhere to the warning and the instructions given in the scripture so to prevent it.
(Conclusion)
(Insert apostasy picture here again)
We would be fools to think that apostasy is not in the church today or that it cannot happen here.
our passage today had good warnings
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
and we can find later some good instructions
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.
First we need to know we are the church
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Added to the church, or transferred into the church
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
when does that happen, when you are baptized
16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.
Calling on His name in baptism
16 ‘Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.’
having repented and believing the gospel
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
For the gospel is the power of God
15 So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
Have you obeyed the gospel? Have you had your sins forgiven? If not do not delay. Those who are in the body, who have obeyed the gospel, press on daily, watch out so not to become an apostate person or we an apostate church. One last passage and then will offer opportunity to respond to the gospel
29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. 32 “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Come receive the Lord’s inheritance today, be reminded of your inheritance today as we stand and sing.
(Song) (Prayer) (exit)