Transcript A Pattern Of Apostasy - Simple Bible Studies

A PATTERN OF APOSTASY
PART ONE
To turn away from what is right.
This takes time and will happen if
allowed.
Introduction
• Some would teach that falling away is impossible.
• But the Bible does not agree with such teaching.
• Hebrews 2:1 "For this reason we must pay much closer
attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away
from it.
• Hebrews 3:12-13 "Take care, brethren, lest there
should be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart,
in falling away from the living God.13 But encourage
one another day after day, as long as it is still called
"Today," lest any one of you be hardened by the
deceitfulness of sin."
Introduction
• Hebrews 4:1 " Therefore, let us fear lest, while a
promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you
should seem to have come short of it."
• Hebrews 4:11 "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that
rest, lest anyone fall through following the same
example of disobedience."
• 1 Corinthians 10:12 "Therefore let him who thinks he
stands take heed lest he fall."
• 2 Peter 3:17 "You therefore, beloved, knowing this
beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away
by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your
own steadfastness,"
Apostasy
• From these passages, we get the understanding
that one can fall away from the presence of
Almighty God.
• This falling away is due to a failure on our part to
watch, wait, and take warning.
• The digression into apostasy does not come swiftly.
• It enters by stealth through those who would
appear as being righteous.
Apostasy
• Let us look at the steps of apostasy. We will notice
several levels. This digression is recognized by God
as the Holy Spirit caused the Psalmist to write;
• Psalm 1:1 "How blessed is the man who does not
walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the
path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!"
• Notice the progression from walk to stand to sit.
• Our first step:
FLIRTATION
• This is the stage in which there is no alarm bells
sounding.
• It is usually ignored, and considered as
inconsequensential.
• Thinking that those who uphold the truth will stop the
lurking evil in its tracks.
• Genesis 39:12 "And she caught him by his garment,
saying, "Lie with me!" And he left his garment in her
hand and fled, and went outside."
• I am sure that this caught Joseph by surprise, but when
the situation warrented an action, Joseph took the right
course.
FLIRTATION
• 1 Corinthians 6:18 "Flee immorality. Every other sin
that a man commits is outside the body, but the
immoral man sins against his own body."
• Proverbs 5:8 "Keep your way far from her, And do
not go near the door of her house,"
• Proverbs 23:31 "Do not look on the wine when it is
red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes
down smoothly;"
• Proverbs 14:9 " Fools mock at sin, But among the
upright there is good will."
FLIRTATION
• Proverbs 2:14 "Who delight in doing evil, And rejoice in
the perversity of evil;"
• Romans 1:32 "and, although they know the ordinance
of God, that those who practice such things are worthy
of death, they not only do the same, but also give
hearty approval to those who practice them."
• Ephesians 5:11 "And do not participate in the
unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose
them;"
• The next step is:
CONSIDERATION
• This is where curiosity steps in.
• This is where some start to consider whether it is such a bad
thing as they have been taught.
• This is where some will fight reason, and accept the tenets of
such activity, and even thinking that it may be wrong, they
find a certain appeal.
• Acts 17:1-3 "Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis
and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a
synagogue of the Jews.2 And according to Paul's custom, he
went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them
from the Scriptures,3 explaining and giving evidence that the
Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying,
"This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."
CONSIDERATION
• This step is where the discussion of the activity
begins to be tossed around.
• As some will want to progress further, others will
take warning and expose the potential that is there.
• The formula of the change-agents calls for pushing
the envelope until there is resistance, then back off
for a while.
• Afterwards you reintroduce it and go just a little
farther, always backing down less and less.
TOLERATION
• When some start to be dogmatic about holding to a form or
pattern of doctrine.
• When God's view is not recognized, but rather if some are
willing to put up with it.
• In this step we find those who would apologize for the
exposing of such views.
• Some will make excuses that would act as a shield for both
directions.
• To one side they will say, "well, it is not really that bad" to the
other side "well, they are just not used to change".
• But does God change?
• Malachi 3:6 “For I the LORD , do not change; therefore you, O
sons of Jacob, are not consumed”.
TOLERATION
• Exodus 23:24 "You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do
according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them, and break
their sacred pillars in pieces.
• Exodus 23:32-33 "You shall make no covenant with them or with their
gods.33 "They shall not live in your land, lest they make you sin against Me;
for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you."
• Deuteronomy 7:2-5 "and when the Lord your God shall deliver them before
you, and you shall defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them. You
shall make no covenant with them and show no favor to them.3
"Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your
daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons.4
"For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods;
then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will quickly
destroy you.5 "But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their
altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and
burn their graven images with fire."
TOLERATION
• Deuteronomy 13:1-18 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among
you and gives you a sign or a wonder,2 and the sign or the wonder comes
true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods
(whom you have not known) and let us serve them,'3 you shall not listen to
the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your
God is testing you to find out if you love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your
• 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh,4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the
flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.5 We are
destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the
knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ,"
• Ephesians 5:11 "And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness,
but instead even expose them;"
• Jude 23 "save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have
mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh."
CONCLUSION
PART ONE
• People do not change overnight.
• It takes a gradual progression of events and the
thinking must be changed.
• Change-agents are working to change the culture
of the church.
• We must recognize these attempts to change and
resist them.
• Invitation