THESE THINGS
1 TIMOTHY 4:1-6
SERMON #2
INTRODUCTION:
LET ME ASK YOU AN UNUSUAL QUESTION TONIGHT.
HOW MANY OF YOU BELIEVE IN DEMONS?
WELL, THE BIBLE TEACHES US THAT DEMONS DO CERTAINLY EXIST.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, JESUS DEALT DIRECTLY WITH DEMONS AT LEAST FOUR TIMES IN SCRIPTURE.
IN MATTHEW 8:28 - HE ENCOUNTERED TWO DEMON POSSESSED MEN IN THE REGION OF GADARENES, AND CAST THE DEMONS INTO AHERD OF PIGS.
IN MATTHEW 9:32 - HE CAST A DEMON OUT OF A MAN WHO WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK.
IN MATTHEW 12:22 - HE CAST A DEMON OUT OF A MAN WHO WAS BLIND AN UNABLE TO SPEAK.
AND IN MARK 1:23 - JESUS CAST AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT OUT OF A MAN IN THE SYNAGOGUE.
JESUS CERTAINLY UNDERSTOOD THE REALITY OF DEMONIC INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD.
AND I THINK THAT YOU AND I SHOULD BE VERY AWARE THAT THERE IS DEMONIC INFLUENCE AROUND US EVERY DAY.
YOU MAY WONDER WHY WE’RE TALKING ABOUT DEMONIC INFLUENCE IN THE WORLD TONIGHT. WELL, THE REASON IS BECAUSE PAUL WARNED TIMOTHY ABOUT DEMONIC INFLUENCE IN HIS DAY AS WELL.
TAKE YOUR BIBLE AND TURN TO 1 TIMOTHY, CHAPTER 4.
LET’S STAND TOGETHER AND READ VERSES 1-6 AND TALK ABOUT "THESE THINGS" THAT PAUL EMPHASIZED TO TIMOTHY.
STAND - READ – PRAY
THE FIRST THING THAT I WANT YOU TO NOTICE IS THAT PAUL REFERS TO THE "LATTER TIMES". WHAT ARE THE "LATTER TIMES"?
THESE ARE THE DAYS IN WHICH WE LIVE. THE DAYS THAT DECLARE THAT THE RETURN OF THE LORD COULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME.
JESUS REFERRED TO THESE DAYS IN MATTHEW CHAPTER 24.
HE SPOKE OF THE PERSECUTION OF BELIEVERS, OF FALSE PROPHETS, OF
LAWLESSNESS, AND THE LOVE OF MANY GROWING COLD.
BUT HE ALSO SPOKE OF THE GOSPEL BEING PROCLAIMED TO ALL THE WORLD AS A TESTIMONY TO ALL NATIONS, AND THEN THE END WOULD COME.
FOLKS, WE ARE CURRENTLY LIVING IN A CULTURE WHERE WE SEE THE PERSECUTION OF BELIEVERS.
JUST THIS MORNING, WE WATCHED A VIDEO DURING BROTHERHOOD THAT SPOKE OF THE PERSECUTION THAT THE CHINESE HOUSE CHURCH FACES EVERY DAY.
OUR SOCIETY HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE LAWLESS, SEEMINGLY GIVING MORE RIGHTS TO CRIMINALS THAN TO THOSE THAT THE PERPETRATE CRIMES AGAINST.
WE SEE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE PERVERTING THE GOSPEL, PROCLAIMING THE MESSAGE, "JESUS GIVES", INSTEAD OF "JESUS SAVES".
AND WE OFTEN SEE THE HEARTLESSNESS OF SOCIETY, AS WE WITNESS THE MURDER OF THE UNBORN AND AS FAMILIES ARE TORN APART BV DIVORCE.
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THING THAT PAUL WAS TALKING TO TIMOTHY ABOUT IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER WHEN HE REFERRED TO THE "LATTER TIMES".
AND HE SAID THAT THERE WILL BE SOME SPECIFIC INDICATORS OF THOSE LATTER TIMES.
THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU TONIGHT.
PAUL TOLD TIMOTHY THAT IF HE POINTED "THESE THINGS" OUT TO THE BROTHERS, THAT HE WOULD BE A GOOD SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST.
BUT WHAT ARE "THESE THINGS"?
HE SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE INDICATORS THAT THE WORLD HAD ENTERED THE LATTER TIMES.
HE TOLD TIMOTHY TO POINT THESE PROBLEMS OUT TO THE BROTHERS.
HE SAID POINT OUT THE PROBLEM OF:
1. DEPARTURE FROM THE FAITH. (V1)
THE WORD DEPART MEANS TO INSTIGATE A REVOLT.
AND THE DEVIL HAS INSTIGATED A REVOLT AGAINST CHRISTIANITY IN THIS DAY AND AGE.
WHEN WE WHO SPEAK THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST ARE ACCUSED OF HATE SPEECH, THERE HAS BEEN A DRAMATIC DEPARTURE FROM THE FAITH. AND THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THERE HAS BEEN A DEPARTURE FORM THE FAITH.
BAPTISM RATES IN SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCHES CONTINUE TO DECLINE.
IN 1978, WE HAD ONE BAPTISM FOR EVERY 36 MEMBERS. IN 2003, THE RATIO HAD WORSENED TO ONE FOR EVERY 43 MEMBERS.
THE NUMBER OF CHURCHES WITHOUT PASTORS CONTINUES TO INCREASE.
RIGHT NOW IN OUR ASSOCIATION, OVER 10% OF OUR CHURCHES ARE WITHOUT PASTORS.
PAUL TOLD TIMOTHY TO POINT OUT THESE THINGS.
HE ALSO TOLD HIM TO POINT OUT THE PROBLEM OF:
2. DEMONIC INFLUENCE. (V1)
WE CAN SEE DEMONIC INFLUENCE IN OUR WORLD TODAY IN THE LARGE NUMBERS OF CULTS AND NEW-AGE RELIGIONS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
YOU CAN FIND EVERYTHING FROM ANANDA MARGA, OR THE PATH OF BLISS, WHICH FOCUSES ON TEACHING INDIVIDUALS "COMPLETE SELF-REALIZATION" AND OFFERING THE ANSWER TO LIFE, DEATH AND REBIRTH,
TO ZYGON, WHICH IS A NEW AGE RELIGION THAT TEACHES INNER POWER, MEDITATION AND THE FIFTH STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS, IN WHICH MAN IS GOD.
BUT THE REALITY THAT WE MUST TEACH IS THAT THE ANSWER TO LIFE, DEATH AND REBIRTH LIES IN THE PESON OF JESUS CHRIST.
AND THAT IF WE WANT TO HAVE INNER POWER, IT NEEDS TO COME FROM THE INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD.
PAUL TOLD TIMOTHY TO POINT OUT THE PROBLEM OF DEMONIC INFLUENCE.
AND FINALLY, HE SAID POINT OUT THE PROBLEM OF:
3. UNBIBLICAL TEACHINGS. (V3)
PAUL TELLS TIMOTHY THAT SOME WILL FORBID MARRIAGE AND DEMAND ABSTINENCE FROM CERTAIN FOODS WHICH GOD CREATED TO BE RECEIVED BY ALL OUR CULTURE IS SATURATED WITH UNBILICAL TEACHING.
FROM THE SENSELESS BABBLING OF HOLLYWOOD ELITE, TO UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS WITH ANTI-AMERICAN LEANINGS, TO PREACHERS PROCLAIMING MESSAGES THAT ARE NOT IN LINE WITH SCRIPTURE.
WE ARE SEEING A DOWNPOUR OF UNBIBLICAL TEACHING IN OUR WORLD TODAY.
CONCLUSION:
SO IF WE ARE TO BE GOOD SERVANTS OF JESUS, WE ARE INSTRUCTED TO POINT OUT "THESE THINGS" TO THOSE AROUND US.
DEPARTURE FROM THE FAITH DEMONIC INFUENCE
FOR A PERSON WHO HAS NOT ACCEPTED CHRIST AS THEIR PERSONAL SAVIOR, THERE IS NO DEFENSE AGAINST DEMONIC INFLUENCE.
UNBIBLICAL TEACHING
