Apostasy the Devil and You

I believe there are warnings to believers all throughout my Bible. I believe they warn against falling into a casual Christianity. For those who claim the name of Christ and yet foolishly believe they can continue to willfully sin, whereby trampling Christ's blood and abusing God's unmerited grace must be confronted with God's authoritative word which declares, For if we sin willfully, after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remained no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries.

If this be the case, should not great and grave attention be placed upon examining ourselves before a just and holy God who will judge every man according to his works? I believe that's true, friends. The title of my message today, friends, is Apostasy, the Devil, and You. I believe the devil is the poster child for apostasy.

Here was a created angelic being, gifted incredibly, we are told by our Bible, who in his self-will fell into apostasy and who led a rebellion in heaven that made a holy God cast out he and his followers as fast as lightning. Jesus said, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. But there is another passage in the book of Hebrews that scares the daylights out of me.

It is found in the sixth chapter of Hebrews in verses four through six. And it reads, for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. If they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put them to open shame.

I don't agree with the Bible scholars who claim this passage speaks of a person who was close to being saved, but who was never actually saved. I believe this passage speaks of a saved individual who was made a partaker of the Holy Ghost, but who has fallen into apostasy. Now, don't get me wrong, friends.

I believe in the security of the believer, but also believe that the devil will get you if he can. And he will line up all of hell's resources against you. And he will do all he can to get you in the end and make this a verse, a reality in your life, if you're not careful.

I believe it's awful easy to quit walking with God and mistake a religious life of good works for God honoring one lived in obedience to God. I believe you can take a wrong turn and end up down a road that will place you in jeopardy of this verse becoming real to you. I've seen it happen time and time again in good church members who went to the devil.

I saw it happen to a pastor who was incredibly used in a remarkable revival, only end up years later as an apostate religious man. The last time I saw him, he had turned his Baptist church into a nightclub, painted the walls black, and hung colored beads all throughout with strobe lights and a heavy metal rock band. And as he stood before his congregation of 700 people, he tried to lead them in prayer, but first he told an off-color story about him sitting in the toilet wiping himself.

I'm not making this up. His congregation laughed in embarrassment. This pastor had become nothing but a joke.

You don't think that can happen to you? I believe the devil will get you if he can. I believe a Christian must be watchful, careful to maintain a close walk of intimacy with Christ Jesus by living in obedience to him. I believe if we get off track and stay off track and give the devil ground in our life through willful sin, we can end up an apostate doomed and damned in a devil's hell.

I believe we live in a very dangerous day where many of our religious denominations have fallen into apostasy. We have some churches that are led by an apostate pastor, just like the one I mentioned. And I've seen good churches, once mildly used of God, go to seed and fall into complete apostasy.

If you're not careful, friend, it could happen to you. I believe Judas was a happy camper in that little band of disciples that followed Jesus around for three and a half years until the day came he became dissatisfied with his conception of who Christ was and he gave up on God. He betrayed him by selling him out.

I believe the devil can get you to sell out as well through the right circumstances. If you're not careful, I believe Satan can so discourage you by the right set of circumstances that if you're not careful, he can get you to give up on God. I've seen Christians go to the devil.

I've seen it happen in nice church folks time and time again. Don't you think you are immune if you're merely resting on the doctrine of once saved, always saved, and you go on living a self-ruled life. If you're saved, Christ must rule your life all the way up to the time he calls you home to him.

Let us pray.