• A PATTERN OF APOSTASY
PART THREE
• Apostasy will happen if we allow it.
• It will come by stealth, and afterwards, we will not realize the great change we have made.

• INTRODUCTION
• Some teach that we cannot fall from grace.
• We showed from the Bible that such teaching does not agree with the Bible.
• Our progression and steps of apostasy up to this point are:
• Flirtation
• Consideration
• Toleration
• Accommodation.

• CONTAMINATION
• Not only is error not rebuked, but it is embraced.
• These folks now seek to remove the stigma of the name Church of Christ and distance themselves from those who are narrow-minded and intolerant of new, different, and other ways.
• The message of truth has changed to embrace everyone and is not limited only to the faithful few.
• The next step is:

• CAPITULATION
• As the movie title goes "sleeping with the enemy".
• Now those who once were considered the enemies of the cross, are now embraced as brethren of the great family of God.
• They now exchange pulpits, and their message is as watered down as what the locals get on a weekly (weakly) basis.
• The righteous are ridiculed and reviled.
• New bolder errors show their ugly head and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop them from happening.
• Isaiah 30:8-11 " Now go, write it on a tablet before them And inscribe it on a scroll, That it may serve in the time to come As a witness forever. 9 For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen To the instruction of the Lord; 10 Who say to the seers, "You must not see visions"; And to the prophets, "You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, Prophesy illusions. 11 "Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel."
• Jeremiah 5:30-31 "An appalling and horrible thing Has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?"
• Nehemiah 9:26-31 "But they became disobedient and rebelled against Thee, And cast Thy law behind their backs And killed Thy prophets who had admonished them So that they might return to Thee, And they committed great blasphemies. 27 "Therefore Thou didst deliver them into the hand of their oppressors who oppressed them, But when they cried to Thee in the time of their distress, Thou didst hear from heaven, and according to Thy great compassion Thou didst give them deliverers who delivered them from the hand of their oppressors. 28 "But as soon as they had rest, they did evil again before Thee; Therefore Thou didst abandon them to the hand of their enemies, so that they ruled over them. When they cried again to Thee, Thou didst hear from heaven, And many times Thou didst rescue them according to Thy compassion, 29 And admonished them in order to turn them back to Thy law. Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Thy commandments but sinned against Thine ordinances, By which if a man observes them he shall live. And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen. 30 "However, Thou didst bear with them for many years, And admonished them by Thy Spirit through Thy prophets, Yet they would not give ear. Therefore Thou didst give them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 31 "Nevertheless, in Thy great compassion Thou didst not make an end of them or forsake them, For Thou art a gracious and compassionate God.
• This brings us to our last step"

• CONDEMNATION
• Condemn the preachers of righteousness and those who would follow them.
• Condemn any who would promote the truth.
• But who will have the ultimate condemnation?
• Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."
• Matthew 15:8-9 "This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 9 'But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men."
• Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
• Matthew 23:27-33 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.28 "Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous,30 and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'31 "Consequently you bear witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.32 "Fill up then the measure of the guilt of your fathers.33 "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how shall you escape the sentence of hell?"

• C0NCLUSION
• God reserves judgment for all those who transgress His laws and His will.
• Let us take notice of these trends and take up the cause of Christ.
• Let us hold forth the Gospel Message in its purity.
• Let us maintain the purity of the Church, and rely upon the authority of scripture as our guide.
• May God have mercy upon us all.
• invitation

By Carey Scott from a sermon by Larry Ray Hafley

Return to the Sermon Outlines page

Home / Bible studies / Bible Survey / Special Studies / General Articles / Non-Bible Articles / Sermons / Sermon Outlines / Links / Questions and Answers / What Saith The Scriptures /Daily Devotional / Correspondence Courses / What is the Church of Christ / Book: Christian Growth / Website Policy / E-mail / About Me /