Has anyone ever betrayed you? Walked away? Abandoned you? If so, you might understand the word that leaps off the pages of scripture today. The word is: Apostasy.
In Matthew 24: 10-12 Jesus told us that it is what we should expect to as the world moves into its final chapters. He said: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people/. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.”
The word “apostasy” in the Bible is the Greek word “apistasia” which means: “Falling away, to leave or depart, forsake, rebellion, defection, desertion, or to abandon.”
In the Bible there are examples in the Old and New Testament of people who committed the sin of apostasy. As a matter of fact:
1. Saul was an apostate- God said to Samuel of him: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he
has turned back from following Me, and has not carried out My commands.” I Samuel 15:11
2. Another King named Amaziah was an apostate- God said of him: “...Amaziah turned back
from following the Lord....” 2 Chronicles 25: 14-15
3. In the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy we read of a group of men who were apostate-
Some worthless men have gone out from among you and have seduced the inhabitants of their
city...” Deuteronomy 13:13
Yet, the most famous apostate was Judas who was called to be an “apostle” but instead became an apostate, walking away and betraying Jesus---becoming even today the most famous betrayer and defector of all time.
The Bible makes it clear that these people were never truly “saved” or “part of God’s family” in the first place.
I John 2:19 tells us: “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, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.”
Furthermore, Jesus told the story of them calling them “tares” instead of “wheat.” In contrast, tares are sown in the wheat fields. They appear to be wheat but they bear no fruit; and in the end, God separates them from the wheat because they are actually tares that appear to be wheat but are not.
The Book Hebrews carries five major warnings and this section of scripture serves as a warning to people who are apostate.
It is warning that is especially relevant today as God warns that this sin will be on the rise as the earths chapters and times are moving toward the final hours.
2 Thessalonians cautions saying “for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first” - in other words, the rejection of Jesus will precede the arrival of Jesus and His Second coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
Transitional Sentence: How do we avoid apostasy in the last days? In these days we need to take:
I. A Close Look Inside
Vs. 26-27- “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there remains no longer a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a faire which will consume the adversaries.”
Explanation:
1 Thessalonians 5:21 instructs us to, "Examine everything and hold fast to that which is good.”
When it comes to apostasy, we must all begin with ourselves. We must examine, look inside, and scrutinize ourselves to see if we are genuinely followers of Jesus Christ.
This is not an abnormal command in scripture. 2 Corinthians 13: 5 says: “ Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test”
This passage in Hebrews is like a test. It causes us to question ourselves and see where we stand with Jesus. The last days are described as a time of deception. Therefore, he launches the first examination question with a statement.
He says: “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but a terrifying expectation of judgment...” vs. 26-27a
Just like Judas, it’s easy to hang around Jesus and deceive ourselves into thinking that we are truly children of God. Judas saw the miracles of Jesus, he served on the finance committee, He was the treasurer. It appeared that he was the most trustable of the disciples; yet in the end, it was proven that he was an apostate.
Do you know why God wants us to “test ourselves?” Not to cause us to doubt; but just the opposite; so that we might live in confidence-- knowing 100% that our faith in Jesus is authentic.
I John 5:13 affirms that God wants this for us saying: “These things I have written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you believe in the name of the Son of God.”
Jesus consistently revealed to Judas of where He was in his faith. Even at the Passover before Judas revealed His true nature; Jesus bluntly spoke saying that one of them was a betrayer. His confrontation was so straightforward that all the disciples examined themselves and said: “Lord tell us who.”
Then Jesus confronted Judas by saying: “It is the one for whom I dip this morsel and hand it to them so He dipped the morsel, (and) He took it and handed it to Judas.” John 13: 26
Today, God hands a morsel to the apostate of our age. The morsel comes from God’s Word. God’s Word according to Jesus is bread that comes from heaven that feeds our souls.
That morsel simply says: “If we go on sinning willfully.” If there is no true-life transformation. No conviction of sin, no inward change then we are deceiving ourselves.
Judas had religious behavior but no repentance and transformation. The results are terrifying as we read: “...after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins but a terrifying expectation of judgment and fury of fire which will consume the adversaries.” Vs. 26-27
The number one characteristic of an apostate is that they sin with no conviction. They might identify with Christ in label but not in life-change. We might even fool others like Judas did with the disciples; but Jesus knows who truly is connected to Him. He knew Judas was living a lie.
Illustration: Never look a gift horse in the mouth
Have you ever heard the phrase: “Never look a gift horse in the mouth?” Believe it or not, this statement came from a church leader named “Jerome.” Of course, he was speaking about being grateful which is good. Yet, practically, its horrible advice. Do you know why?
What you don’t know is that the best way to determine the age of a horse is through looking at its teeth. Teeth don’t lie. Have you ever heard the phrase, “He’s getting long in the tooth?”
Sometimes the age of a horse can be deceptive. Across this building there are people that are 40 that look 20 right? There are people that are 80 that look 60 right? ?
Back when Jerome was making up this phrase, there were people who lied. The would misrepresent a horse. They would say that a 5-year-old horse was 2 and a 8-year-old horse was 5.
But, teeth don’t lie. You could tell if someone was lying through their teeth by looking at the horses teeth.
Application:
Do you know what the devils #1 characteristic is? He’s a liar. The word “devil” means: “Deceiver or liar.”
The deceiver will attempt to get you to lie to yourself which is his ultimate goal. If you repeat His lies to yourself; you’ll believe them. Therefore, God says, “Examine yourself.” See if there is evidence in your life that you are a follower of Jesus.
Jesus gave us a litmus test saying: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me.” John 10:17
If we keep on sinning (obviously without repentance) we are not taking God seriously. We are playing the religious game and failing to understand what Jesus does when He moves into a heart. He transforms the house. He rearranges and makes us new. The old is gone and the new has come.
That’s what verse 26 is telling us. If there’s no change, Jesus might be living around you like He was with Judas; but not living in you. Make sure you know that you know; Jesus lives in me.
Transitional Sentence: How do we avoid apostasy in the last days? In these days we need to take:
II. A Closer Look Outside
Vs. 28-31- “Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under the foot the Son of God....”
Explanation:
The writer of Hebrews describes the behavior of apostasy in some pretty dramatic ways. Specifically, in this verse it is described as “trampling the Son of God under their feet.” (vs. 29)
Have you ever heard someone say: “You are letting them run all over you?” That’s the idea conveyed as we think about the behavior of the apostate.
In 1966 a lady named Lee Hazelwood was thinking about how poorly she had been treated by a man so she sat and wrote a song that went like this: “These boots are made for walkin’ and that’s just what they’ll do, and one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.”
Unfortunately, the last days will be perilous days when the one who has truly loved us and proven it by dying for us, will be rejected, unappreciated, and run over.
Those that do this to Jesus are identified as apostate.
In this passage these people are described as “setting aside the law of Moses. In verse 28: “Anyone who sets aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy...” In Moses day when someone broke God’s law and it was confirmed by two witnesses capital punishment to be carried out.
Yet, in contrast how much more severer punishment comes to those who “trample the underfoot the Son of God...”
In the Latter Days there will be apostates who repeat the sin of Judas. What will they do? They will be like Judas because:
a) They will know the truth- Judas looked into the face of truth every day.
b) They will reject and neglect the truth- Judas rejected and betrayed Jesus- the way, the truth,
and the life.
c) They will reject those who preach the truth- Judas rejected Jesus the greatest preacher of all
time.
d) They will love the present world- He sold Jesus off for 30 pieces of silver- the price of a
slave.
e) They will cling to tradition over truth- He went to the Sanhedrin instead of the Savior.
f) They will forsake those who fellowship around the truth- He left the Passover and the
fellowship of the disciples and chose the world over Jesus.
What does that mean practically in these last days?
a. They will know the truth- In the last days there will be many who know the truth but don’t
live it out. “In the last days.... they will have a form of godliness but deny the power
therein...” 2 Timothy 3:5
b. They will reject and neglect the truth- In the last days-- “They will turn their ears away
from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:4
c) They will reject those who preach the truth- “For the time will come when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears...” 2 Timothy 4:3
d) They will love the present world- “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of
most will grow cold...” Matthew 24:12
e) They will cling to tradition over truth- Now the Spirit expressly says that in later
times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and
teachings of demons... I Timothy 4:1
f) They will forsake those who fellowship around the truth- “not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as I s the manner of some...” Hebrews 10:25
God does not want us to be surprised by this. He does not want us to be shaken.
Instead, He wants us to remember the value of Jesus in a world that has forgotten the value of Jesus. In the face of the apostates; we are called to be “apostles” which means: “the called-out ones.”
Did you know that Jesus prayed a prayer for how we are to live as “apostles” in a world of “apostates?”
This is what He said: “ I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One. 16 Just as I do not belong to the world, they do not belong to the world. 17 Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth. 18 I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world. 19 And for their sake I dedicate myself to you, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated to you. John 17:15-19
In the face of apostasy; we must live as apostles, knowing we have been sent out into the world. We live sent.
Illustration: You can fly tethered to the ground
John Ortberg told the story about a friend of his wanting to take him out to fly around the city where they lived.
He explained, my friend is one of the most brilliant aviators in the business. He’s not just a top-tier pilot; but is also a top-tier instructor.
Yet, as John arrived at the airport and got into the airplane, he watched as his friend (he called him Orville for fun) go through the extensive check-list of preflight preparations.
He explained, “He was going through a extremely extensive checklist, literally marking off items in a thick record book to make sure that all the safety details were taken care of; the gas tank was full, the plane was perfectly mechanically fit, that the weather conditions were right, and so-forth.”
Yet, as John looked out the window, he noticed that the wings were attached to the pavement by a rope that tethered the airplane to the ground.”
He said, “The engines were roaring and the propellers were spinning, yet the ropes were still attached to the wings. Fortunately, as he radioed into the tower he suddenly saw his mistake and said, Oh goodness, I guess I ought to untie the ropes so we can take off and fly.”
He said: “For a moment I thought, maybe I should get out of the airplane but realized that he was so focused on the detail that he failed to recognize the obvious; we had to be untethered to fly.”
Application:
In an apostate inhabited world sometimes we can do something similar. We can do like we are doing today, we can go through the check-list of Hebrews 10 and see apostasy and identify the record of what God says about it. We can become aware of the detail of the end times. We can become end-time instructors.
Yet, despite our intellect we can miss the obvious of what Jesus was saying in His prayer for us. He was saying, don’t miss the point of all the information. The point is that you can’t get tied down by the information here; you’ve called to get up and get out and do be who you are called to be.
Literally, you’ve got to fly.
God has put you in the world to be salt and light in a lost apostate world. God has called you to live sent as an apostle among apostates.
Don’t get weighed down by the fact that the world is getting darker; be a light in it. Make a difference. Be present and influential. While the world may be under the devils jurisdiction; remember you are an ambassador, a difference maker, an apostle to the apostates.
Don’t get caught in the drag of the evil world; bring Jesus into it. Let me read to you again what Jesus said:
“ I do not ask you to take them out of the world, but I do ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One. 16 Just as I do not belong to the world, they do not belong to the world. 17 Dedicate them to yourself by means of the truth; your word is truth. 18 I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world. 19 And for their sake I dedicate myself to you, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated to you. John 17:15-19
Transitional Sentence: How do we avoid apostasy in the last days? In these days we need to take:
III. A Closer Look at the Other Side
vs. 35- “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”
Explanation:
Jesus talked a lot about the rewards of following Him. The reward though is different than you think.
Often people seek trophies and in the end, they are stuck closets or thrown in dumpsters as outdated memories of the past.
But as the writer of Hebrews speaks about our commitment to live our lives with Jesus at the center he says: “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.”
What he is saying is: There’s another trophy to collect-- the right kind. This reward is something not made with human hands, it is a reward that comes from a greater ambition; the ambition of living a faithful life to Jesus in a world where apostates trample over Jesus.
The trophies that matter are not found on shelves and resumes; instead it is a life that has found its resting place in a turbulent and trying world of chaos.
It is the soul trusts in Jesus when it seems like Satan’s kingdom is winning and Jesus’ kingdom is losing.
Jesus told the story of two faithful men who stood before their returning king and head him say to each of them: “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
I try sometimes to imagine what it would be like to stand before God and hear those words. Do you?
Do you mind if I ask you a question? What kind of trophies are you collecting today?” I want to encourage you to collect the right kind of trophies. The ones that last.
Listen to the writer of Hebrews. He has some things he says God wants us to remember:
32 But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, 33 partly by being made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming companions with those who were so treated. 34 For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession. 35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. 37 For yet in a very little while,
He who is coming will come, and will not delay. 38 But My righteous one will live by faith;
And if he shrinks back, My soul has no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not among those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith for the safekeeping of the soul.
Invitation:
Collecting trophies on earth can be addicting and exhilarating. Yet, in the end, they leave you hollow, empty, and looking for something else. They tarnish.
Yet, the reward of living for Jesus is everlasting. That’s what God offers to you today during this invitation. He offers you new life with Jesus.
