Departing From The Faith

Departing from the Faith I Timothy 4:1-5 Most of us know people who, at one time, embraced a life of faith in Jesus Christ and obedience to His Word.  We saw the power of the living God transform their lives from the inside out. Their minds were being renewed by the power of God’s Word and they were becoming conformed to the image of Christ. They were hungry for the Word of God and spiritual instruction. The shameful behavior of their previous lifestyle fell away as they “put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” But somewhere in that process, something happened; a decision was made, and a corner was turned. Today, they no longer walk with the Lord and have made, in the words of the apostle Paul, a “shipwreck” of their lives. And we ask, “How did this happen? Why did this person turn away from the Lord?” For some, it may have been a personal crisis; in their finances, their marriage, or something else. For others, there was an imperceptible start followed by a slow but steady slide into the old patterns of their former life. Maybe you know someone personally who fits that description.  If you do, then you know the pain in your spirit because of their unbelief. If that person is a relative or a close friend, the pain is deep, and the hurt doesn’t heal.  And if that person is, or was, in a place of leadership, and especially leadership within the church, the effects of their departing from the faith can be devastating to others. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he wrote to the young pastor/teacher, with important instructions on godly leadership in the church. Timothy was facing pressures from false teachers in the church at Ephesus, and Paul wrote to encourage and instruct him in the way of truth. Today we will look at the opening verses of chapter four. In these verses, Paul warns Timothy about leaders who would depart from the faith. And he points out the steps that will lead to that departure. And while leadership is the primary focus of this instruction, we can all benefit by learning how to avoid this path which I have called, “Departing from the Faith.”   Our text is I Timothy 4:1-5. Let me read that for you now. Heavenly Father, from the words of our text, I pray your Holy Spirit will speak specifically to our needs. Open my heart and the heart of my friend to receive your truth and apply it to our lives. For your glory and the blessing of others, I ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen. Let us observe together the several STEPS which lead to a “Departing from the Faith.” The First STEP is, Spiritual Seduction I want you to notice something right here at the beginning of our study. The opening verses of chapter four do not begin a new topic.  They’re a continuation of what Paul was saying in the previous chapters, specifically, in the closing verses of chapter three.  In the KJV, the first word of verse one is, “Now.” Kenneth Wuest, in his “Word Studies in the Greek New Testament,” believes a better translation would be the word, “but.” This helps to set up a clear contrast between the truth of the Gospel and the error Paul is about to address. He begins by telling us that the Holy Spirit spoke specifically about the latter times when this departing from the faith will take place. This isn’t just departing from any faith - but departing from THE faith; the faith of chapter three, verse sixteen. It may be, as Paul was writing this letter, that the Spirit spoke distinctly to him about the situation in Ephesus. O